"The stuff that we were looking for"

Chandler Inions, The Lebanon Democrat, Tenn.
·3 min read

Jul. 19—Mt. Juliet rang in its 50th birthday with a big bash over the weekend. Newcomers to the area say that the type of community displayed at the celebration is what they moved to Wilson County for in the first place.

On Saturday, foot traffic, food trucks and inflatables flooded Charlie Daniels Park as part of the city's big day. Many people attending the event have not been residents for long, having moved to the area within the last couple of years.

Bill Mullen was waiting in line at the Roasted Coconut food truck with his wife, Emily, and their 3-year-old daughter, Blake. The Mullen family relocated to Mt. Juliet late last year.

"Everything is so far, so good," Mullen said. "We came from the Northeast. We were born and raised in the Massachusetts area but came down after Thanksgiving last year."

While proximity to Nashville makes his wife's commute easy, the allure of Mt. Juliet's family-oriented community drew them in. Seeing so many people at the park and celebrating the city confirmed to Mullen that his family had made the right decision to move.

"Mt. Juliet is great," Mullen said. "This is the stuff that we were looking for. We did our research, and this is what we were looking forward to."

While the Mullens may have come a long way to find their new home, one family moved just a few miles away.

Heather Strickland recently moved to Mt. Juliet from Brentwood with her husband, Tray, to be closer to her daughter, who will be a junior at Green Hill High School this upcoming year.

"What I love about Mt. Juliet is that you have the convenience of being close to Nashville, but it still has a small-town atmosphere," Strickland said.

Strickland is a healthcare-finance worker who hails from a tight-knit community.

"I grew up in a very small town in Kentucky (Russellville)," Strickland said. "I still long for that community feeling."

The couple and their son, Lake, were at the birthday celebration in hopes of getting to ride in the hot-air balloon, one of the attractions at the event.

Strickland did not get discouraged when they found out that it was a raffle and not something they could wait in line for. Instead, she bought 40 raffle tickets. When Mt. Juliet Mayor James Maness pulled out their number in the drawing, Stickland remarked that it must have been meant to be.

Another park visitor, Athol Isaac, stood by as his son came barreling off an inflatable slide and captured a video. Originally from New Zealand, Athol, and his wife, Mireya Isaac, from Venezuela, also moved to the area with their children, Jesus and Taryn.

Seeing the turnout at Charlie Daniels Park on Sunday confirmed to Isaac what he thought all along that brought them to Wilson County in the first place.

"It's such a family-oriented area, and we are really enjoying it so far," Isaac said. "It's very communal, just a fantastic community. We love the area and especially love the summers."

Before moving to Wilson County, the family spent a few years in New Jersey. Isaac indicated that the people and the weather make him happy to call Wilson County home.

"The winter when it snows is great the first couple of days, but we're glad to see it melt," Isaac said jokingly.