New mural blooms on the Bell Buckle square

TULLAHOMA, TN, Sept. 21, 2026 — Downtown Bell Buckle has a new burst of color thanks to Tennessee artist Megan Lingerfelt, whose latest mural, Daffodils, celebrates the flowers that have become a springtime tradition in the Bedford County community.

The mural was commissioned by DMA-events in partnership with the South Central Tennessee Tourism Association (SCTTA) through its TENNTIP Fund, an initiative supporting placemaking projects across the region’s 14 counties. Lingerfelt, an Oak Ridge-based artist whose large-scale public works can be found throughout Tennessee, created the mural as a nod to Bell Buckle’s annual Daffodil Day, held each March.

“It's a simple ode to a reliably happy little flower,” Lingerfelt says. “Some of my murals have deeper stories, but the fact that Bell Buckle celebrates daffodils every year felt like reason enough for this bright color bomb.”

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The concept began before the Bell Buckle project was conceived. Lingerfelt had painted a study of daffodils for herself the previous year, and when DMA president Kristin Luna saw the piece, she immediately envisioned it on a wall in Bell Buckle owned by Rodney and Linda Simmons, owners of Bell Buckle Country Store, Inc., which manufactures the popular Captain Rodney’s line of sauces and seasonings. 

“I love seeing daffodils pop up in the spring,” Lingerfelt says. “My property has quite a few, and I keep dividing and transplanting them all over my yard so that hopefully someday I’ll have a full wave of yellow announcing that warmer months are on the way.”

For Luna, the connection between the artwork and Bell Buckle was a natural fit.

“Megan has a gift for creating work that feels completely at home in the communities where she paints,” Luna says. “As soon as I saw her daffodil study, I thought of Bell Buckle. Daffodil Day is such a distinctive part of the town’s identity, and this mural gives visitors another reason to explore downtown while creating a permanent landmark for the community.”

The project continues DMA’s work to expand access to public art in rural Tennessee communities. Since its founding, the nonprofit has facilitated more than 100 murals across the state, working with artists, property owners, tourism organizations and community partners to transform public spaces through art.

The Tennessee Arts Commission provides funding for projects like Daffodils in communities across the state in part through revenue generated by Tennessee’s specialty license plate program. Tennesseans can support arts funding by purchasing an arts specialty plate at tnspecialtyplates.org.

About DMA-events

DMA-events, Inc. is a Tennessee-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit cofounded by travel journalists Kristin Luna and Scott van Velsor dedicated to transforming communities through public art and creative placemaking. Since 2018, the organization has produced murals, artist residencies, arts festivals and other community-focused projects across Tennessee, with an emphasis on making art free and accessible to everyone.