[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 10] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 14230] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]RECOGNIZING THE BICENTENNIAL OF THE CITY OF McMINNVILLE ______ HON. LINCOLN DAVIS of tennessee in the house of representatives Tuesday, July 27, 2010 Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the City of McMinnville, which next week will celebrate its bicentennial. Named after Governor Joseph McMinn, who helped write the Tennessee state constitution in 1796, McMinnville has been the center of economic activity for Warren County for the last two hundred years. Agriculture and horticulture have long been staples of the people who live in middle Tennessee, and McMinnville is no exception. McMinnville's position on the Cumberland Plateau makes it uniquely suited to growing a wide variety of crops and plants. Home to about 650 nurseries specializing in everything from evergreen trees to flowering shrubs, it's no wonder that McMinnville is known as the ``Nursery Capital of the World.'' For a rural Tennessee community, McMinnville has given our country its fair share of notable statesmen and entertainers. Carl Thomas Rowan grew up in McMinnville before attending Tennessee State and Washburn Universities. He was later appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of State by President John F. Kennedy, served at the U.S. Ambassador to Finland, and became the first African American to hold a seat on the National Security Council. In keeping with Tennessee's musical tradition, several McMinnville residents have become well known musicians in Nashville and throughout the United States. McMinnville native Uncle Dave Macon, also known as ``the Dixie Dewdrop,'' became one of the first stars of the Grand Ole Opry. Dinah Shore moved to McMinnville with her family in 1924 and went on to become a television star and singer, performing alongside stars like Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. Born and raised in McMinnville, Dottie West was made famous with her role as ``Miss Country Sunshine'' in a Coca-Cola commercial and her performances at the Grand Ole Opry. As residents in McMinnville and across Warren County prepare to mark the city's 200th anniversary, I encourage them to take a moment and reflect on the history and heritage of their community so that it may be preserved as the city begins its third century. ____________________