A beautiful Daffodil Day, for a change

There was something unusual about this year's Daffodil Day in Bell Buckle.

It was warm and dry.

"I think this is the first time ever," laughed Alderwoman Jenny Hunt. "Maybe seven or eight years ago ... we usually have it on the third Saturday in March, and that year we got the date wrong and had it on the fourth. It was beautiful. Maybe we should always have it on the fourth Saturday."

The event, Bell Buckle's way of welcoming spring, began at 9 a.m., but most of the events were planned for later that afternoon.

"In the spring, people tend to come out later," said Hunt. "Hibernating, I guess. We used to have the flower show in the morning, but we moved it to the afternoon because of that."

Morning events or no morning events, the parking lot in front to the main downtown strip was filling by 9:30 a.m. and visitors were wandering from storefront to storefront, or stopping in at the town hall to see the Notable Trees of Tennessee exhibit. It will remain there until April 3.

"I came for the seedlings," said Jean Sharp, of the Halls Mill community. "I've never been to Daffodil Day before, but I read about it in the paper."

With her son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter, Sharp explored the stores and admired the daffodils while Montana, the granddaughter, got a temporary tattoo with flowers on it from Bell Buckle Tree Board member Florence Hull, and James Sharp, her son, gathered up the free oak and redbud seedlings they wanted.

The seedlings, one per person, were given out by the Tennessee Forestry Department because Bell Buckle observes Arbor Day on Daffodil Day. State forester Bruce Webster arrived later in the afternoon to present the town with its Tree City USA designation, as well as the Duck River Agency with its Tree Line USA designation.