Les Dames Nashville Hosts LDEI Annual Conference Oct 24-27, 2019

Nashville Dames are thrilled to host the 2019 Annual Conference in our Music City! Nashville may be the “It City” right now, but to us, it’s home. It is where Loretta, Kitty, and Dolly made their names on stage. Before that, it was ground-zero in the fight for the American woman’s right to vote, as well as the setting of landmark 1960 lunch counter sit-ins for civil rights. Today, with our rapid hospitality growth, we are a pilot city for a nationwide food waste initiative.That’s why our conference theme — Rhythm and Roots — is particularly fitting. No matter whom you talk to in Nashville, there’s always a music connection. It permeates our culture and our social connections. And in this farming region, where “agriculture” is the first word in our state motto and many of our Dames make a living farming, roots run deep.Thus, we’ve planned a selection of programming to open your eyes to a new Nashville and get us talking about big ideas like immigration and food waste that hopefully we can tackle together. We will give you a taste of a changing Nashville, and some of the tried-and-true Nashville we all love. We’re planning pre-conference tours you won’t want to miss because they offer priceless, behind-the-scenes vantage points that most tourists just can’t experience.

This conference is set to the soundtrack of Nashville’s past and present. A pre- conference barbecue supper and songwriters-in-the-round will rock the house on Thursday night at Dame Sylvia Ganier’s Green Door Gourmet Farm, and the rhythm will continue at the Saturday night after- party at the Wildhorse Saloon. So, pack your cowgirl boots and be ready to scoot!Our superstar Dame Maneet Chauhan will kick off conference with her warm wisdom and an energy that radiates through the room. Our Dame chefs will feed you Nashville flavors in a Friday night tribute to Tennessee’s long history of women in music. CNN hero and social justice warrior Becca Stevens will speak at our Green Tables Breakfast, sharing stories of her successful Nashville enterprise called Thistle Farms and the seeds of change it has sown.This opportunity to host a world-class conference in Nashville is a significant step forward for our young chapter. The challenge has solidified and strengthened our local network. We are energized and fully committed to making vital contributions to LDEI and our community.Anne Byrn & Mindy Merrell Nashville Conference Co-Chairs