Ep. 5 - Reelfoot Forward - Kathy Dumont: Do Quit Your Day Job

Reelfoot Forward

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to quit your job in the city and create a whole new world in a friendly rural community, you’ll love hearing Kathy Dumont’s story. After searching for a place that would offer a simpler, more peaceful life, she and husband, Michael, found what they call “paradise.” In addition to their 400-acre hobby farm, complete with restored farmhouse, where they raise baby doll sheep, Australian shepherds and rescue horses, they’ve acquired and restored many properties in Linden, Tennessee. Their renovations, including an inn built in 1939 now named the Commodore Hotel, have been so successful, they inspired the creation of the Blooming Arts Festival that takes place in Linden each March. When they first arrived in town in 2007, there were 14 vacant storefronts. Today, there are none and the town is booming. Kathy shares some tips on attracting visitors, using social media, the role of music in Middle and West Tennessee and more. Later, discover how the actual dinosaur eggs at Discovery Park of America are used to tell the sad story of how the oviraptor became the misunderstood mother of the dinosaur world.