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WCTE's Annual Dinner  - March 27, 2025

🌟✨ Do you know someone who embodies the spirit of Mister Rogers?

WCTE PBS is celebrating neighbors who make a difference in the Upper Cumberland with our Neighbor of the Year Award!

🗓 Nominations are open now through February 17th. There’s no limit to the number of nominations, so nominate as many neighbors as you’d like!

💙 Winners will be announced and celebrated at our Be My Neighbor Annual Dinner on March 27th, 2025.

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Join us for an unforgettable evening of community, connection, and celebration at WCTE PBS's 2025 Annual Dinner! This year, we’re thrilled to present a Be My Neighbor Celebration, inspired by the timeless values of kindness, generosity, and belonging—hallmarks of the beloved PBS figure, Mister Rogers. 

WCTE PBS 2025 Annual Dinner: Be My Neighbor Celebration


📅 Date & Time: Thurs., March 27, 2025 @ 5:30 p.m.
📍 Location: The Saltbox Inn, Cookeville, TN

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🌟 About the Event


Enjoy a night filled with warmth and nostalgia as we honor the spirit of Mister Rogers and the impact of public media across the Upper Cumberland. 

Guests will enjoy a delightful dinner, special guest speakers, and heartwarming stories showcasing how WCTE PBS is building stronger neighborhoods through education, storytelling, and community engagement.

💙 Why Attend?

Your presence at this special event helps support WCTE PBS’s ongoing mission to inspire, educate, and connect our region. 

Together, we’re making a lasting difference in the lives of our neighbors through trusted programming, educational resources, and community events.

🎶 “It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood…” 🎶

Come celebrate with us and be a part of the WCTE PBS family. We can't wait to see you there!

Thanks to all who attended the WCTE PBS Annual Dinner on Tuesday, April 23 at The Saltbox Inn in Cookeville! We appreciate all who joined us for the fun-packed evening with dinner, entertainment, awards, a celebration of local stories, and a special tribute to the shows produced by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

In addition to great food and wonderful company, the night featured speaker, Dr. Carl Owens and special excerpts from The Cookeville Theater Company's play, I Am My Ancestors' Wildest Dream. 

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Check out our 2024 Awards Honorees in the videos below!

Maker's Award 2024 - Senator Charlotte Burks
Joe Albrecht Impact Award 2024
PARTNER OF THE YEAR 2024 - Putnam County
WCTE Volunteer of the Year Award: Katelyn Steakley, Shan Stout, Matt Beal & Rafferty Cleary

2024 Annual Dinner Entertainment

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TTU Gospel Choir United Voices of Praise
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United Voices of Praise is a student-led gospel choir at Tennessee Technological University

Guests will also enjoy presentations by Regina Pullin and Irene Dirkson and the cast from "I Am My Ancestors' Wildest Dream." The full-length show, which was performed previously during Black History Month, featured an all-Black cast of 30 actors and crew members all local to Cookeville. 

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Photos by Abby Weeden
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Photos by Abby Weeden
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Photos by Abby Weeden