As a unique tourism attraction, Winchester is honoring legendary singer Dinah Shore with a special marker placed on the Square that defines her career accomplishments and her connection to the community.

A special unveiling was held on March 26, highlighted by Shore’s grandson, Alex Hime from Los Angeles, California, who made the trip to Winchester to honor his grandmother and personally remove the covering to unveil the marker.

Ashley DeRossett, Department of Tourist Development Middle Tennessee Division manager, extended her thanks to the participants, including state and local political officials, who supported and promoted installing the marker.

“Thank you all for working so hard to make this marker come to life,” she said, adding that the Dinah Shore marker is one of hundreds of musical landmarks across all 95 counties in the state.

The Tennessee Music Pathways program has identified more than 500 potential locations for markers honoring musicians and locations, including birthplaces, homes and recording studios, with the total number of physically installed markers consistently expanding.

The Dinah Shore marker is the second one placed in Winchester with the other honoring Grammy Award-winning musician Mike Farris.

Hime explained what the marker personally means.

“On behalf of my family, I want to begin by saying how deeply grateful we are to be here today,” he said. “Dinah was always proud to call Winchester her hometown, and this marker is yet another wonderful testament to that.”

He extended his thanks to Mayor Sean Crabtree and “the wonderful people” of Winchester.

“This means more to us than words can easily express, and I know it would have meant the world to Dinah as well,” Hime said.

He also extended his thanks to DeRossett and Tourist Development and to everyone involved in making Dinah Shore part of the Tennessee Music Pathways program.

“I am so glad to be here for the unveiling,” Hime said. “There are celebrities who are famous, and then there are those who are genuinely beloved, and my grandmother was the latter.

“She had a warmth and graciousness about her that was entirely natural and never performed. She was Southern charm in the truest sense — not just in manner, but in spirit. People felt it when they were around her, and I think that is a big part of why her legacy has lasted as long as it has, so to the state of Tennessee, the city of Winchester and to all of you who play a role in preserving her legacy, my family thanks you, and I know Dinah thanks you too.”

Crabtree gave a historical account of Shore’s presence in Winchester and how her career developed from a grassroots level.

He said her parents, Solomon and Anna Shore, resided in five different homes in Winchester, including her birthplace on Second Avenue Southeast, now owned by Ann Bagby. He added that her family operated a store that was located in three different locations during its tenure in the city.

Crabtree said Shore’s life started from humble beginnings that saw her overcome adversity at an early age, and she sang from the counter at the store as a child on her way to becoming an internationally known household name.

He highlighted her accomplishments that included a television career from 1951 to 1991, including one of the longest-running variety shows of its era — “The Dinah Shore Chevy Show.”

Crabtree said Shore received nine Emmy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, nine Golden Globe Awards for her contributions to television entertainment, a Peabody Award, was a Television Hall of Fame inductee and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He added that she sold millions of records during the 1940s and 1950s and was known for hits like “Blues in the Night” and “Buttons and Bows.”

“She was a trailblazer for women in television, a top recording artist of her time and an icon of her time who influenced entertainment, sports and media,” he said, adding that she was routinely seen with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire, Jimmy Durante, Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Judy Garland and Lucille Ball.

“Markers like this remind us that history isn’t just found in books — it’s found right here in Winchester, our hometown,” Crabtree said. “It’s the people, the places and the moments that define us.

“Today we celebrate Dinah Shore, her bright smile and her warm Southern charm, both of which define this town.”

City Administrator Beth Rhoton said that adding Shore’s marker to the Tennessee Music Pathways program will be a tourism booster to the city.

She added that people plan vacations around traveling throughout the state to see the specialized markers, and adding Dinah Shore to the list should be a top drawing card.