A Lebanese photographer planted a cedar tree in the small town of Lebanon, Tennessee as part of his mission to visit every city named Lebanon in the U.S.
Fadi Boukaram told WKRN-TV he is on his second tour of U.S. cities named Lebanon. By his count, there are 47 total ‘Lebanon’ cities in the U.S., including in Kentucky, Tennessee, North Dakota and Oklahoma.
Boukaram said the journey was done as a road trip to explore America’s heartland and any potential connections to the country of Lebanon.
Surprisingly, Boukaram told the Nashville ABC-affiliate he found a connection involving a goodwill tour in 1955 from Lebanon to Lebanon, Tennessee.
“What’s interesting to me is the Vice Mayor, who went from Lebanon is actually Lebanese-American. His name was Frank Baddour and he was a dentist and a prominent citizen of Lebanon, Tennessee,” Boukaram said.
The photographer planted a cedar — Lebanon’s national symbol — in a community park near the town’s downtown area.
Boukaram said the town of Lebanon, Tennessee made a special impression on him.
“I started in California and this is the first big Lebanon I passed through,” he added. “I passed through two smaller ones before but they were too tiny, and the weather there is too hot to be able to grow a cedar tree. I love Lebanon, Tennessee. I spent a week here in 2017 when I first came and I just loved it.”
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