Celebrating "America's Freedom" in Style!

The South celebrates Independence Day, for days!  Fireworks are sold on every corner, and it seems like everyone shoots them off, everywhere, all night, for days, as well!  Evidently, as well, Nashville is suppose to be one of the top three cities in the country for their fireworks displays on the 4th, so you can imagine our dilemma when we were trying to choose between going downtown to see "the big fireworks" and going to the Grand Ole Opry to see the Oak Ridge Boys preform!  Since our campground was hosting a dinner, singer and fireworks the night before, and the park nearby was having fireworks and picnic festivities the night after, we opted to go to the Opry and see the Oak Ridge Boys!  After all, how often would we get chance to see them sing "Elvira" live again?

Greg & Cindy Hill preforming at our campground cookout

We were staying a little outside of Nashville at the North Nashville KOA, and they have a great service of selling great "front of the house" tickets that include a mini-bus ride to the Opry, which is nice, so you don't have to navigate and deal with all the 4th of July drivers trying to get to & from their festivities, plus trying to figure out where the heck you are going!

We were the furthest stop out, so the driver picked us up first, then had a couple more stops to pick up a few other folks along the way.  One couple was a grandmother and her 13 year old grandson from Scotland here for him to attend a special two week vocal school and cut a CD.  "Wow, Nashville really is the Music City, if folks come here all the way from Scotland" I thought...

Watching the Opry was a hoot!  If you've never seen it, it's "done" in 30 minute segments (for TV) and each "main attraction" does about two songs, then the other entertainers fill in around them.  Each segment has a different host as well.  The audience also gets to hear the "ads" as the curtain comes down/up while the stage is being changed for the next act.  They do four shows, which equals the two hours we are there.  Very entertaining!  All through the night, being it was Independence Day, everyone sang songs that were quite patriotic, many I had never heard before, and being "country", brought tears to my eyes. 
Of course the Oak Ridge Boys were on last, and of course they too started us off right, and had us all sing the Star Spangled Banner with them (how cool was that?), then, "Elvira"!  Yea!  And...of course, it played in my head for days!

Richard Sterban,  The Oakridge Boys at the Grand Ole Opry, Nashville TN

Joe Bonsall, The Oakridge Boys at the Grand Ole Opry, Nashville TN

William & Richard, The Oakridge Boys at the Grand Ole Opry, Nashville TN

As we began our drive back, several of the folks commented on the fireworks going on downtown and if we would be able to see them en route at all?  Well, our driver, being a sweetheart, as he crossed over a bridge, saw that several other cars were parked there, turned and asked us if we were in a hurry to get back home, none of us were, so he parked and we sat and watched the last 30 minutes of some of the best fireworks ever!  What great seats we had too!  Up high, comfy seats, air conditioning, no smoke and we didn't even have to worry about parking or traffic afterwards!  How lucky can a person get?

The following night, we didn't even need to go to the park down the street, as we could see them from our rig where we were at!  The only "downside" was that one of the enthusiasts in the campground shot his off until about 1AM...I thought that was carrying it a bit far...Buy, hey, what a great country we live in, right?

...kicking back in Nashville TN,  Marie

If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

Two weeks in Nashville Tennessee, yeehaw!

Pardon the long delay in my writing, but my computer has been "in the shop" for some maintenance work, and while it's been there, we've been busy sight-seeing up a storm in Nashville for two weeks!  So, I've lots to share (it's going to take several blogs, I'm afraid)!

Our first visit was to the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, a must see if you ever go to Nashville.  Built in 1967, the Hall hold the "Crown Jewels of Country Music" and tells the story of how it all began...and does it well, I must say!  Hundreds of exhibits and vignettes, along with recordings going back to it's roots - including African American, Gospel, Bluegrass, Cajun, even Comedians, all the way up to Popular music.  It had a couple of "special exhibits" going on, one was on Miranda Lambert and the other was on Glen Campbell.  Both shared their backgrounds, records, and costumes.

As you leave the museum, you enter the Hall of Fame Rotunda.  This is where 120 "Members" are pictured on bronze plaques with dates and bios all along the wall.  It's built in a circle with the words "Will The Circle Be Unbroken".  The first inductees were Jimmie Rodgers, Fred Rose and Hank Williams in 1961.  Election to the Hall is solely the prerogative of the CMA.  New members, elected annually by an anonymous panel of industry leaders chosen by the CMA, are formally inducted during the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's annual Medallion Ceremony.

Along with these two rooms, the building houses Historic RCA Studio B (for extra $) and Hatch Show Print, a letterpress shop operating since 1879.  Since Jack "grew up" in the printing business, we had to stop by and check them out!  Amazing to see a shop still doing letterpress these days!  Nice job too.

Well...all that took several long hours, and we were tired and hungry!  Off to find food!  And wonderful food we did!  Merchants Restaurant & Grill in an old (c1892) refurbished drugstore building.  Beautiful and delicious, yum!  Afterward, we were ready to take on one more museum, Johnny Cash!

Johnny Cash's Museum was small, but was it packed full!  Lots of pictures, going all the way back to his childhood, including military and both his marriages.  Early recordings, records, albums and even his films.  Some special memorabilia, like a chair from their home that burned down, a jail door from "Folsom Prison" and a special presentation when he was a Grand Marshall at the American Bicentennial Grand Parade in Washington DC in 1976. 

 

Sitting in the "back room" and watching a clip of Johnny coming on stage, saying one more time..."Hello! I'm Johnny Cash" and listening him sing some of his songs, was a such lovely way to end our first day in downtown Nashville...It truly is the" Music City"!

 ...kicking back in Nashville TN,  Marie

If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at: Marie Beschen | Flickr