Clarksville, TN – The long-awaited grand opening of the F&M Bank Arena and Ford Ice Center in downtown Clarksville took place on July 15th, 2023 with hundreds in attendance, enjoying free popcorn, tours of the facility, live music, and more.
The day’s activities commenced with statements from several of the people instrumental in the decade-long project, from inception to completion. Danny Butler (Sr. Vice President of Sabertooth Sports & Entertainment) the company that will be managing the arena, hosted the ribbon cutting.
“I want to take a moment and express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who came out, and to everyone who supported this project,” Butler said. “This is a project that has been about ten years in the making. It has taken a lot of dedication from a lot of people in this building to make sure we are where we are today.”
After his remarks, Butler introduced Sammy Stuard (President/CEO, F&M Bank, Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts, Gerald Harrison (Vice President, Athletic Director, Austin Peay State University), Sean Henry (President & CEO, Nashville Predators, and finally, Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden.
F&M Bank’s Stuard said, “This journey has come to an end, but today is the start of a new journey. This will be an entertainment center, second to none around here, and we are really proud to be part of it.
“The future is yet untold. There are so many good things happening in Clarksville right now. I appreciate everyone that was involved in bringing this project to fruition. It took a lot of work, and a lot of faith to put this together. But, this project is proof of what we can be done when everyone is working together.”
Mayor Joe Pitts said, “This arena brings a paradigm shift. We go from there’s nothing to do in Clarksville, to, what do I do in Clarksville.” He also took a moment to praise former Montgomery County Mayor Jim Durrett, and quote him, saying, “A wise man once said, ‘this is not a moment, this is a movement’. You are so right, Jim Durrett.”
APSU’s Gerald Harrison began his comments by saying, “It’s a great day to be a Gov, and a great day to be a resident of Montgomery County. I’m going to borrow something from Coach Gibson. He always talked to me about the secrets to a successful gumbo. No matter how good the ingredients are, it doesn’t matter, unless you have the right combination. When you look around this room and think about Clarksville, Montgomery County, The Predators, Austin Peay State University, all these wonderful people. Man, we’ve got a heck of a gumbo pot, right here.”
Harrison then thanked former Montgomery County Mayor, Jim Durrett for his vision, and for bringing him on to the arena project. He talked about bringing APSU championship banners to F&M Arena, then led the crowd in a chant of ‘Let’s Go Peay’, the first ever in the new facility.
After the speeches were complete, Mayor Golden joined former Mayor Jim Durrett and other dignitaries in front of the dais for the official ribbon cutting, which was accompanied by the firing of a confetti cannon.
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