The Wilson Post
LEBANON WEATHER

Fiddlers Grove reopens after tornado damage




Rocking chairs sit vacant on the front porch of the Stringtown General Store in Fiddlers Grove, which reopened recently after receiving damage from a tornado in March. DALLUS WHITFIELD

Rocking chairs sit vacant on the front porch of the Stringtown General Store in Fiddlers Grove, which reopened recently after receiving damage from a tornado in March. DALLUS WHITFIELD

Fiddlers Grove Historic Village, Wilson County Fair and Wilson County Promotions staff and volunteers recently celebrated the grand reopening of the village after it sustained heavy damage in the March tornado.

The village, located in the James E. Ward Ag Center, suffered damage to 31 of its 60 buildings, some as old as 223 years.

“I think when the tornado first hit, the shock of it was hard to get past for a day or two. After that, we just had to get down to business,” Fiddlers Grove director Gwen Scott said.

Scott said dozens of volunteers swarmed to the village in the days following the tornado to help with cleanup efforts until heavy machinery was necessary.

Portions of Fiddlers Grove and decor also sustained damage in rare high winds that followed the tornado.  

Wilson County Promotions Executive Director Helen McPeak said the village had sustained more than $500,000 worth of damage as a result of the storms, which includes equipment and machinery.

“We’re still sorting through things to see what we can salvage, replace and repair,” Scott said. “It’s been a messy thing.”

Scott said some buildings still need to be repaired and put back together. However, she said a book with pictures of the village before and after the tornado help guests understand the magnitude of the repair efforts.

“They marvel that we’ve got it put back together as well as we have,” said Scott.

Weddings and family reunions are still being booked at Fiddlers Grove, according to Scott, and are following COVID-19 guidelines on safety.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic temporary halted operations at the village.

“Between all of these things that we’ve had, I feel like we’ve been hit three times if you include the virus,” she said.

Some Fiddlers Grove staples remained intact, including the popular wedding venue Melrose Church, which was built in 1883.

“That just shows the power of God,” she said.

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