From October 10 to November 20, one room on the Gallatin square hosts a roots rock show, a boutique fashion runway, the first-ever Town Creek Film Festival, an original musical, three free family movie nights and a benefit tribute to Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn. That room is the Palace Theater at 146 N. Water Ave. Historic Downtown Gallatin, Inc. owns and operates the Palace as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. It's the same group that publishes the downtown events calendar. So a big share of the square's fall comes down to one organization handing 198 seats to a long list of local groups.
How the downtown association ended up holding the keys
The Palace calls itself the oldest silent movie theater in Tennessee still standing in its original location. Local businessman Bill Roth owned and ran it, and it worked as a community theater from 1913 until 1977. Roth had owned a jewelry store first. According to the theater's own history, he planned to leave the store to his son and bought the theater next door as an inheritance for his daughter, who died before its doors opened.
Silent films cost a nickel in those early years. Roth was known for doing his own sound effects by breaking glass, blowing horns and drumming. His work is still in the room. The wall sconces are originals he made from tin and cut glass, and the seats are close to a century old.
After Roth died, John and Sonny Garrott bought the theater at auction. They donated it to Greater Gallatin, Inc., which is now Historic Downtown Gallatin, Inc., so it could be renovated. The building was later named a local historic landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The organization says restoring the Palace and the neighboring Roth Building took more than $700,000. That included $90,000 it raised for stabilization and a $350,000 government grant.
That donation is the reason this fall's calendar looks the way it does. A commercial owner would book the room for revenue. A downtown nonprofit can rent it for weddings, fundraisers, concerts, corporate events, private screenings and birthday parties, and also give its stage to a fashion show put on by downtown's boutiques.
Who is using the room this fall
Here's the Palace lineup through November, in date order:
- Webb Wilder, Saturday, October 10, 7 to 10 p.m. The calendar bills him as "bona fide Roots Rock Royalty."
- Downtown Gallatin Fall Fashion Show, Thursday, October 15, 6 to 8 p.m. The boutiques of downtown Gallatin are hosting it, with Honey & Suede, Sassy & Brassy and Tennessee Honey showing fall looks on the Palace stage.
- Town Creek Film Festival, Friday and Saturday, October 16 and 17. The festival's debut, with Palace screenings from 7 to 9 p.m. both nights.
- King's Road Cannibals, Friday and Saturday, October 23 and 24, 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. A musical that its listing describes as being "about the horrors of letting your environment decide for you."
- Gallatin Rotary Club Free Family Movie Nights, Fridays, October 30, November 6 and November 20. The October 30 show runs 6:30 to 9 p.m. The November listings run 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
- "After the Fire Is Gone: The Music of Conway & Loretta," Saturday, November 14, 7 to 9 p.m. Music Amplifies presents it as part of its annual #AMPUP4KIDS Night.
A touring roots rocker, a merchant runway, a local poet's film festival, a civic club and a children's charity are very different groups. They share one stage that none of them owns. The calendar also lists events that don't name the Palace as the venue. One is Robbery at the Rockvale Theatre, a whodunit with several showings October 7 through 11. Another is "Small Town Charm: When Harry Met Sally" on October 9, where Historic Downtown Gallatin and Apple & Dove Flower Company pair a hands-on flower arranging class with the romantic comedy "on the big screen," plus wine, concessions and local vendors.
Counting only events that clearly name the Palace, the theater has something booked on seven separate weekends between October 10 and November 20, along with a Thursday show.
A film festival planned around one room
The Town Creek Film Festival shows how the Palace connects to the rest of the square. Gallatin Poet Laureate Kevin Chopson created it and serves as Artistic Director. Ryan Inman and Ted Brown are Managing Directors. The program is two nights of independent short films from Tennessee, other parts of the country and a few cities abroad.
The Palace holds the main screenings. After that, the festival spreads out on foot. An all-show-access ticket covers:
- The Palace Theater, 7 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday
- The Annex at Prince Street Pizza and Pub, late-night screenings from 10 to 11 p.m.
- The Basement at Public Square 106, a special viewing and presentation
- Preferred entry to the after-parties
Prince Street Pizza & Pub is at 123 E Prince St and serves specialty artisan pizzas with a large list of Tennessee craft beers. 106 Public Square is a flexible workspace for entrepreneurs and independent professionals. It sits in the historic Suddarth Building, which its operator says still has its 1924 character. On Eventeny, tickets run from $10 for a single venue and day up to $32 for the two-day pass, before fees. Historic Downtown Gallatin is listed there as host.
The festival takes the Palace's earliest job, showing films, and adds two more buildings within walking distance. The theater sets the night's schedule, and the pub and the basement keep things going after the Palace lets out.
The square fills in around curtain times
Music Amplifies says it directly in its Conway & Loretta listing, which encourages ticket holders to visit "the coffee shops, restaurants and shopping surrounding the Palace Theater on Gallatin's historic downtown square" before the show. The proceeds go toward Christmas assistance for local children. The nonprofit served 1,391 children last year and works across Sumner, Robertson and northern Davidson counties.
The newest option on the square is a few doors down Water Avenue. The Paper Mill, a breakfast and brunch spot that started in Mt. Juliet in July 2022, moved into the former Swaney Swift's space at 118 N. Water Ave. Owner Justin Ragan runs it with his wife, Erika, and his daughter, Emma. Ragan told Gallatin News that he came to see the space on a drive back from Portland:
"We walked around the square, spoke to a few people, felt the spirit here — and we knew we were going to take the restaurant. This is the stuff people have forgotten about. It's amazing that this still exists. It's these shops — and these people."
The restaurant's website currently lists Gallatin hours as 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, so check before you go. Breakfast and brunch are served all day, from biscuits and gravy and chicken and waffles to burgers and sandwiches. It fits the daytime events on the square more than the evening shows. A Saturday brunch before a 7 p.m. Palace show splits the day neatly between the two ends of Water Avenue.
October 30 shows how one day gets shared
Friday, October 30 shows the whole setup on a single date. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., downtown merchants host trick-or-treating on the square for preschool-age children, billed as a daytime alternative to evening trick-or-treating. At 6:30 p.m., the Gallatin Rotary Club's free family movie night starts inside the Palace. The morning belongs to the shops and the evening belongs to a civic club. The same nonprofit puts both on its calendar.
The pattern continues into December. The square's third annual Merry Little Christmas Market runs Saturday, December 5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lucas Leon plays the Palace the next evening, Sunday, December 6, starting at 5 p.m.
Christian Wilson spent 20 years writing and singing songs before he went into real estate, so a 1913 room with original seats hosting Webb Wilder and a Conway & Loretta night means something to this team. If you live within walking distance of the Palace and wonder what that location adds to your home's value, Christian Wilson Homes can work up the numbers for you. Get Your Instant Home Valuation, then come see a show on Water Avenue.
