One Month to Go

If anyone needed a sign that Belmont University is a month away from hosting a presidential debate, here's a hint: Look at the flowers.

The campus has undergone a remarkable botanical transformation in the 10 months since the Commission on Presidential Debates named Belmont as the host of the political season's only town-hall-style presidential debate.

But as the Oct. 7 event nears, it's more than just flowers that mark the preparations for a debate that will put Belmont, and Nashville, squarely in the middle of one of the most captivating presidential races America has seen in at least two decades.

There are the Secret Service sweeps through the adjacent neighborhoods, complete with federal agents reassuring residents their houses won't be invaded. There are the copious signs, including the 720-square-foot banner draped from the bell tower on Belmont's campus and the debate-themed parking tags plastered on every Belmont student's car. And then there's the single question being asked all over town: Can I get a ticket? (Answer: Not likely.)

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(Photo credit: Mandy Lunn/The Tennessean)