Schermerhorn Symphony Center

Sean: I have an entertaining question. If you could take any famous structure or building and place it in Dickson, what would it be?

David: Oh, Lambeau Field (laughs). I don’t know. That’s an interesting one; let me think about that one. You’re talking about any building, anywhere?

S: Any building, any structure, anything famous. If you could put it in Dickson, what would it be? A little twist here.

D: That is an interesting question. I can think of a bunch of things: the Eiffel Tower, the Schermerhorn in Nashville, Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden. . .I would want to go with the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. I think that’s a beautiful building inside and out. Why that building? I don’t know, I just like it. I think it’s a really neat place that offers a lot of options for people who like music. But, you know, there are a lot of neat places in the world when you stop and think about it. The Sears Tower, the World Trade Center would’ve been nice, of course they’re not here anymore. Who would’ve ever thought that? The Empire State Building, just think of all the neat places. Yeah, I guess I’d have to go with the Schermerhorn. I’m a little more familiar with it, I guess.

S: And finally, what’s a hidden gem in Dickson County that you wish more people knew about?

D: (Laughs) Another good one. Rhonda is one who needs to answer that because she knows a lot about what’s out there that most people don’t know about. I don’t know if there’s any particular thing, but what I like and what I think is unique about Dickson is all the artists. Just all the craftspeople we have here that people don’t know about. Think about Tim Schermerhorn that builds the Dobro Guitars. He’s a world famous builder. I understand that he’s going to retire, but he’s here. Think about the lady that works with the horses like at the Wild Horse Saloon. Then the father and daughter that do the wooden bowls. We did them in our magazine. There are a lot of people in this community that we’re unaware of that have very big talents, wonderful talents. You know, John Rich, the songwriter, he’s from Dickson County. You have Bob Walcott who’s a golf pro who’s traveled and played in PGA. There are so many talented people here that a lot of people don’t know of. It’s hard for me to say any particular gem. I just think of the people, the talented people that are here. I know there are others out there. Craig Morgan. We have two big country music stars who came through Dickson County High School. Oscar Robertson, Big O, he’s from the Charlotte area. Tom Beasley, one of the founders of CCA, Christian Corporation of America. It’s amazing- the people you find out about here. I’m amazed. I learn everyday of someone here. I think William Lee Golden of the Oak Ridge Boys lives here. I heard that. And you think about the Renaissance Center and what a nice place that is. And you think about the farm tours we’re doing that are unique. People from around here and in a lot of rural communities, they think, “Farm tours? Who would want to go on a farm tour?” But it sells out every year. And I guarantee if we really opened it up and promoted it in the Nashville area and others that we’d get a lot more. Because a lot of people have never set foot on a farm. They don’t know the Virginia Grays wheat thrasher or Greys Brother wheat thrasher they have. You see a lot of unique things out there. I’ve gone there several times and you see the old tractors and you can watch how they did the wheat thrashing in the old days. I find that when I go to Greys Brothers, it’s neat to see the camaraderie of the community. We have a lot of festivals throughout like the Charlotte Festival, Old Timers Day, White Bluff has a festival, and the apple butter festival. There are a lot of things like that where people in the community just get together and enjoy things. There’s quite a lot of talent in Dickson County.

S: The Renaissance Center has a lot of art work and Studio 123 on Main Street, she sells a lot by local artists.

D: Yeah, they do. And then there’s, I think a father and son pair that does the iron works, the welding and all. I think they have the musicians down at Holland Park. They did that type of art. It’s amazing, the talent we have here for a small community. I guess that’s the hidden thing, although not an event or an activity. But it is something that is unique to Dickson County I think.

S: That’s a good answer.

D: Thank you.

This concludes my three part interview with Mr. Hamilton. I would like to give a big thanks to David for spending time with me and giving us all a little insight about the Dickson Chamber of Commerce. If you missed the first two parts of the interview, you can check them out at:
Interview with David Hamilton: Growth in Dickson County
David Hamilton: Be Local Campaign