24 stories that brought us joy in 2024, from the WPLN newsroom

Rachel IacovoneWPLN News

Don Srisuryo's loved ones line up to cut off locks of his hair at the beginning of the ceremony to make him a temporary Buddhist monk.

Stories about oddball roadside attractions, marching bands, budding scientists and sports bars delivered pops of humanity and joy this year.

There were, admittedly, plenty of heartbreaking headlines. But stories like these help us weather the challenges. And you may be happy to hear it was actually pretty hard to narrow down this list to just a couple dozen selections.

If you’re a returning joy seeker, you know WPLN loves a pattern. So below you’ll find our top 24 joyful stories of 2024.

— Rachel Iacovone, Director of Multiplatform Publishing

How this camp for kids who stutter builds confidence and connections

The first rule of Camp TALKS: Everyone gets as much time as they need to speak. (Alexis Marshall, June 10)

Why a Thai American man from Murfreesboro spent a week as a Buddhist monk

Becoming a temporary monk is considered a rite of passage for young men in Thailand, but this tradition largely has not carried over to Thai communities in the U.S. But for Don Srisuryo, 26, it was worth it to take on the challenge. (Char Daston, April 30)

‘We want people to hear our voices’: Election Day inside a Nashville jail

Election Day is one week away for the majority of Nashvillians. But for people incarcerated in Davidson County’s jails in-person voting happens one week earlier, on Tuesday, Oct. 29. (Marianna Bacallao, Oct. 29)

A ballroom scene has been quietly growing in Nashville. And it’s about to have its coming out party.

The Legendary Iconic House of Ebony has put on several smaller balls in the city in recent years, but the one they brought to the National Museum of African American Music was their most visible display to date. (Jewly Hight, June 20)

‘Just the beginning:’ Nashville holds first blood drive for newly-eligible LGBTQ donors

Last year, the FDA ended a 40-year rule that prohibited gay and bisexual men from giving blood. On Friday, one Nashville man gave for the first time. “I kind of feel validated, because my blood was not good enough all these years.” (Marianna Bacallao, Jan. 19)

‘I don’t need to go any further’: One woman finds herself home

Homelessness is often the result of a culmination of several events in a person’s life. As we have heard throughout This Is Nashville’s housing series, “In My Place,” people can quickly struggle to maintain stable housing when a financial, medical or personal crisis hits. (Tasha A.F. Lemley, July 9)

A 30-member choir rehearses in a fluorescent-lit church room festooned with pride flags.

How this Nashville LGBTQ choir celebrates 20 years of harmony

When Nashville in Harmony was founded in 2004, many of its members had to be discreet. Twenty years later, it is known both locally and nationally. (Char Daston, June 21)

Moth enthusiasts track nocturnal fliers at Bells Bend Park

Connecting to the diverse world of moths — like at Moth Watch at Bells Bend Park — could help people see past common perceptions. (Caroline Eggers, July 31)

A new wave of Kurds fleeing Turkey bring their own sound to Music City

Nashville has the largest Kurdish population of any city in the U.S., and most are from the Iraqi region of Kurdistan, also known as Bashur. They arrived in waves starting in the 1970s, with the largest influx prompted by Saddam Hussein’s genocidal campaigns in the late 1980s and early ’90s. (Rose Gilbert, June 24)

Nashville program for new babies and moms expands to cover all of Davidson County

Metro’s health department has spent five years on a pilot program called Nashville Strong Babies. Its goal is to improve infant and maternal outcomes, while addressing racial health disparities. Now, the program is expanding. (Catherine Sweeney, July 13)

Women’s sports bars are on the rise. Nashville’s will be a first for the South.

Nashville’s Chapstick is poised to become the first in the South to join a growing trend of sports bars dedicated to women’s leagues. (Marianna Bacallao, July 2)

Listen: Mermaids, mushroom fairies and royalty joust and jest at the Tennessee Renaissance Festival

The Tennessee Renaissance Festival runs each weekend in May at Williamson County’s Castle Park. (Magnolia McKay, May 17)

‘Co-housing’ hasn’t taken off in Middle Tennessee, but it’s thriving 10 years later on this Nashville block

As demand for housing rises and loneliness rates spike, some Nashvillians are looking to innovative living situations. One such arrangement is “co-housing.” (Cynthia Abrams, Nov. 11)

A camper races a counselor down the zip line at Camp Forget-Me-Not.

This Tennessee camp creates space for grief — and joy — for children who have lost a loved one

Each year, Alive Hospice holds Camp Forget-Me-Not to support children through their grief. It offers an environment where kids can have fun, make new friends, and share freely about their loss with other kids. (Alexis Marshall, Aug. 23)

‘We’re really lucky to have them’: A third space for Nashville Muslims offers food and community during Ramadan nights

We are now more than three weeks into Ramadan, the holiest month on the Islamic calendar. During it, Muslims fast from sun-up to sundown, and here in Nashville, the place to eat and gather with loved ones in the dark has been, perhaps surprisingly, a coffeeshop. (Rachel Iacovone, April 5)

Anatomy of the perfect Tennessee road trip

When WPLN senior music writer Jewly Hight pitched This Is Nashville producer Magnolia McKay the idea for an episode about roadside attractions, McKay was quick to say yes. But she was not prepared for the deep knowledge Hight had on the plethora of fun and quirky stops within Tennessee state lines. Luckily, she was an eager student and a good sport. (March 21)

Trumpeters in a marching band hold up their instruments and play in formation. They wear blue uniforms and stand on a football field under a clear blue sky.

A Tennessee marching band’s journey from nonexistence to the Macy’s Day Parade

Ten years after forming, the ETSU Marching Bucs performed in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The band director says the band’s success took dedication and creativity. (Char Daston, Nov. 26)

Listen: Peak cicada? First-timers share their appreciation and grievances about the brood

It’s hard to remember a time before the cicadas. Their daily screaming has become the soundtrack to life in Nashville, and the pieces of their dead litter seemingly every surface. WPLN has been checking in with the newsroom’s cicada first-timers to see how they’re feeling throughout Brood XIX’s emergence. (Rachel Iacovone, May 7 and 24)

A white clapboard schoolhouse is unloaded from the back of a semi-truck, in darkness. The ground below the truck is a pile of dirt.

‘To teach the next generation’: A former schoolhouse for Black children finds a new home in Franklin

A historic schoolhouse for Black children was relocated from its original site in the tiny rural community of Duplex, Tenn. It now sits in the middle of downtown Franklin. It’s part of an effort by the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County to restore the school. (Char Daston, Feb. 23)

‘Annie’ brings sunshine and the return of a hometown actress to TPAC

The story of orphan Annie has captured hearts for generations, and the version at TPAC is a homecoming of sorts for one of the featured actors: Julia Nicole Hunter, who plays Grace Farrell. (LaTonya Turner, March 26)

Nashvillians can now borrow art from seven local libraries

The Lending Library began in 2021 to support Nashville artists who lost work during COVID. This summer, the program doubled its collection and expanded to five more library branches. (Char Daston, July 25)

Listen: After neo-Nazis target Black children, Nashville comes out to support them

To celebrate national United Against Hate Day of Action, kids got a special visit from Nashville’s major sports leagues. (Marianna Bacallao, Sept. 30)

This Middle Tennessee talent show proves that age is just a number

On a Tuesday night last October, the Franklin Theater was sold out for a talent show that is quickly becoming an annual tradition. For the past five years, the Morning Pointe Foundation has hosted the Seniors Got Talent event in Williamson County — a live talent show for contestants ages 60 or older. (Magnolia McKay, Jan. 31)

A teenage boy wearing a t-shirt, glasses and headphones smiles and gives two thumbs up. He sits in front of an orange microphone in a radio studio.

This Brentwood teen’s science video landed a spot in a worldwide competition

Chetan Yenigalla is a semifinalist in the Breakthrough Junior Challenge, which invites teens from around the world to make two-minute videos about science.

Still itching for more fun? Check out our past years of joy story roundups — from 2023, 2022 and 2021. Plus, every Friday, our NashVillager newsletter runs its “Out, About” section, where I bring you suggestions like where to go dancing, apple picking, or even curling (yes, the icy Olympic sport). You can subscribe here for more joy in your inbox every weekday morning.

Rachel Iacovone, Director of Multiplatform Publishing

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