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LIST OF CELEBRITIES PARTICIPATING IN
THE NASHVILLE MUSIC GARDEN
DEDICATION CONTINUES TO "GROW"

Little Miss Dynamite, Ray Walker of the Jordanaires, Designer Manuel and the Families of Loretta Lynn and Merle Kilgore Will Join Star-Studded Ceremony at the World's First "Garden of the Stars" Tomorrow, September 29, 2009

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - September 28, 2009 - Brenda Lee, Ray Walker of the Jordanaires, Manuel and the families of Loretta Lynn and Merle Kilgore are the latest additions to the ever-growing list of celebrities participating in the dedication of the Nashville Music Garden on Tuesday, September 29, 2009.  The event will be emceed by long-standing country music television personality Ralph Emery.  Recent Country Music Hall of Fame® inductee Barbara Mandrell and GRAMMY® award-winner Lynn Anderson will serve as celebrity hosts.  The star-studded open-to-the-public ceremony begins at 10:30 a.m.  in theHall of Fame Park, located at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Demonbreun (across from the Country Music Hall of Fame^®and Museum).  In addition to the many sponsors and supporters of this project, the Hilton Nashville Downtown is a primary contributor to this event.

"The Nashville Music Garden will provide a unique experience for our guests to enjoy. We are extremely proud to have this beautiful garden with its great significance right in our backyard," said Ray Waters of Hilton Nashville Downtown.

Among the celebrities already confirmed to attend are Patti Page, Donna Fargo, Little Jimmy Dickens, Jeff Cook of Alabama,Irlene Mandrell, Marty Raybon, Janice Wendell, Mandy Barnett, songwriters Jeffrey Steele, Shane Minor, Bart Allmand,Randy Thomas, Mac Gayden and Buzz Cason, and the families of songwriter Ben Peters, The Big Bopper, Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, DeFord Bailey, Minnie Pearl and Jimi Hendrix.  Officials from the State of Tennessee and Mayor Karl Dean will also be in attendance.

"I'm thrilled and so proud that my father Rick Nelson is being recognized with this honor in the Nashville Music Garden. I'm delighted pop is being celebrated with so many wonderful artists in my hometown of Nashville," says Gunnar Nelson, another celebrity guest confirmed to attend the event on September 29.

The Nashville Music Garden is a one-of-a-kind "Garden of the Stars" that pays tribute to the artists, songwriters, authors, television personalities, industry leaders, venues, organizations and icons who have made a positive impact on Nashville's entertainment community.  The tribute garden is home to the Nashville Music Garden Collection, an assortment of over six dozen flowering plants whose names include Barbara Mandrell, Country Rock Pioneer Rick Nelson, Grand Ole Opry, Minnie Pearl,Pretty Woman, Purple Haze, Elvis, Ring of Fire, Tennessee Waltz, Alabama, Chantilly Lace, Dolly Parton, Kiss an Angel Good Morning, Hank Williams, Reba McEntire, Pam Tillis and Amy Grant, just to name a few.
 
The first 500 attendees will receive a long-stemmed rose courtesy of Rio Roses and a hot biscuit from the Loveless Cafe.  The event is FREE and open to the public.  For more information, visit www.nashvillemusicgarden.com.

"The Nashville Music Garden will serve as an impressive collection of roses and daylilies as well as a mixture of music and beauty.  Nashvillians, and all Tennesseans, will find this garden a place of which to be proud.  Furthermore, it is important to applaud the vision of the LifeWorks Foundation and its supporters in creating this outstanding place of environmental beauty," explains Derrick Smith of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.

"Essentially, what we've created is a place where people can literally take time from their busy day to 'stop and smell the roses,' and enjoy the beauty of something which transcends today's headlines, poor economy, crazy work schedules, family obligations and other man-made forms of stress.  By embracing nature and 'stopping to smell the roses,' we are reminded of our own humanity and we can also learn to celebrate music and Nashville's entertainment community in a whole new way," states Pat Bullard of LifeWorks Foundation.