Nashville has once again taken the International stage as the National Hockey League’s All-Star weekend comes to town.
City leaders, sports officials and other organizations have been planning this event for several months.
The big weekend gives local businesses a big time to shine, including Morris Light and Sound. The local business has called on nearly 250 people to put together the lighting, staging and sound for the weekend’s biggest concerts.
“It's been a great piece for us to be able to invest back into the local community, especially during a season when we're not historically busy,” said David Graham.
Throughout the day on Thursday, it was easy to find fans, decked out in Nashville Predators gear, who are ready to spend big this weekend.
Murfreesboro native Tammie Bacon was one of them. “I’m going to everything,” she said. “I took a week of vacation so I could come do it all.”
Even the hockey players and NHL executives got a taste of Nashville this weekend. Every player received a personalized Gibson guitar. The executives got Goo Goo Clusters, Jack Daniels Whiskey and a bottle of specially crafted Yazoo beer to take home with them.
Nashville Sports Council President Scott Ramsey said Nashville has proven its ability to host big events like the All-Star weekend, and he was hopeful events will continue calling on Music City as host.
“We wanted to put a nashville spin on it, so from our gift baskets to the entertainment, we want people knowing who we are,” Ramsey said.
Events run through the weekend all along Demonbreun and 5th Avenue in downtown Nashville.
