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Note of Thanks

Portland’s Sesquicentennial Celebration has come and gone and the day was beautiful. The Sesquicentennial book has been completed and was made available for sale on the day of the event, and now there are many, many folks to thank.
We had several visitors and elected officials with us, among them our State Historian Mr. Walter Durham, State Senator Diane Black, State Representative Mike McDonald, Sumner County Executive Anthony Holt, Robertson County Executive Howard Bradley and several of our former mayors and city council members. Some from neighboring cities brought proclamations to congratulate us and some who could not attend sent their congratulations.
First and foremost to be thanked is the Sesquicentennial Committee made up of folks who worked several months in planning the events of the day. They are: City Historian Pat Meguiar, Allen Haynes, Glenda Brown Milliken, Joe and Johnnie Freedle, Gordon and Carolyn Meadors, Paula Shannon and Jane Ellen Stegmeier. I served as the chairman and Teresa Keen served as secretary for the committee. The Portland Leader volunteered their services in printing a Sesquicentennial Book, and the partnership was sealed. The originally appointed book committee members were: Chairperson Glenda Brown Milliken, Allen Haynes, Pat Meguiar and Jane Ellen Stegmeier. Johnnie Freedle stepped in when Jane Ellen Stegmeier could not serve. Later on, other people were added to the committee to help with the extensive research: Barbara Russell and Wanda Hawkins of the Elmer Hinton Memorial Library, Albert Dittes, Gordon and Carolyn Meadors, and Paula Shannon. Sonya Thompson and Jamie Johnson served from the Portland Leader. Local photographer Frank Empson helped by taking some of the photos needed. Carrie Mazanec Adkins and Sharon Clark Marlin helped with some of the preliminary editing.
Those participating in the day’s events were: Highland Rim Historical Society and the volunteers who portrayed the characters from the past (Cemetery Tour); The Lions Club (Best Beard and Costume Contest); The Rotary Club (Cash Drawing on Main Street); Alice Walker, Linda Napier and Patsy Thornton (Recipe Contest), Portland Sr. Citizens Center (Old fashioned food); Order of the Eastern Star (Carriage rides); Portland Church of Christ and Ms Betty Coleman (Antique Quilt Display); Cold Spring School Museum volunteers; Monique Buntin (sound system); Mr. John Garrott, the Sumner County Historical Society and Tennessee Gas Pipeline (Time Capsule); Portland’s Street Department employees, the Chamber of Commerce, all the local merchants who participated and those who contributed items for the time capsule. Jeremy Anderson videotaped the events of the day.
We also thank the management of local radio station WQKR that aired news of the event as an unpaid public service announcement for several weeks in advance, and the other publications in the area that advertised our event at no charge. Also the organizers of “Days Gone By” mentioned our event in the flyers they handed out for their own event.
If there are any that have been overlooked in this list, we certainly apologize.
Our sincere thanks to everyone for helping to make this a successful celebration of Portland’s first 150 years!

Kenneth Wilber

Mayor