Nashville Trip--Evening of Day 3

 After a full day at  Belle Meade, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and Studio B, it was time for dinner at the Rodozio Grill. This restaurant was established in 1995 as the first Brazilian Steakhouse in the United States. It was founded by a Brazilian native and is noted for its authentic and traditional Brazilian recipes. It is also on 2nd Street in Nashville, which is withing walking distance of Broadway and all the Honky Tonks.

We were treated to an abundant salad bar with lots of Brazilian salads and side dishes. That could have been a meal in itself. However, it was only the beginning!  The main course was served by a parade of Gauchos holding three foot skewers of meat that had been grilled over an open fire. They carved these at the table depending on our preferences. Here is a partial list of the items that were offered to us--chicken wrapped in bacon, garlic sirloin steak, pork sausage, chicken thighs, chicken hearts, parmesan pork, spicy sweet and sour chicken, lamb, glazed ham, Vietnamese catfish, salt and pepper flat steak, tip sirloin beef, and grilled pineapple!

Needless to say, we were all stuffed. Our dining experience took a while, and we were almost late for the Grand Ole Opry. Dessert was very delicious cheese cake; which the restaurant packed for us in take-out containers so we could get to the Opry.

As we had learned on Thursday, the Grand Ole Opry has had a new home at Opryland for several years. However, it moves back to the Ryman Auditorium in November and December each year. We were fortunate to see the performance in its original home.

Hosts for the various segments included Jeannie Seely, John Conlee, Connie Smith, and Mel Tillis. Other notable performers were Jackie Lee, Gene Watson, Bobby Osborne and the Rocky Top X-Press, Jimmy Wayne, and Lee Greenwood. 

Lee Greenwood is pictured here singing his patriotic hit, "God Bless the USA". It was a very timely tribute with all the recent worldwide events that have occurred.

As we returned to the hotel, some ate their cheesecake. Others were still too full and put it in their room refrigerator for enjoyment later!



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Greetings from the Southern Region

Southern Region Extension retirees would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Eleven of us celebrated the season in early December at Burton's Restaurant in Whittington, IL and Pheasant Hollow Winery.

We enjoyed a delicious lunch, and then had wonderful pie. Burton's is the home of the famous White Pie.

Then there was wine sampling at the Winery along with treats courtesy of Joyce Pyatt and Ruby Lingle. It was wonderful weather and a very enjoyable day!

Those pictured are Martha Speir, Donna Whitlock Rumsey, Kathy Harrison, Patti Faughn, Ruby Lingle, Joyce Pyatt, Rusti Grogan, Joy Richey, Carol Schlitt, Martha Winter, and Lois Smith. Shirley Martin Prewitt joined us for lunch also.

We hope 2016 is a great year for everyone!

Nashville Trip: Day 3--Daytime

The third day began with a tour of Belle Meade Mansion which served as the hub of operations for Belle Meade Plantation during most of the 1800's. The Plantation once consisted of a 5400 acre farm, and was the home of the best thoroughbred race horses in the country.

During the Civil War many horse farms saw their horses taken over by the armies, but Belle Meade managed to keep theirs. The farm was known for race winners and fine bloodlines. It was also the first place where horses were sold at auction.

We were treated to a food demonstration of some good  Southern Cooking. Our instructor was excellent! We learned about making biscuits--which they did every morning! In the photo you can see that Rick Lingle got put to work helping with this project.

There was a winery and gift shop on the grounds, and most of us came home with some samples of delicious peanut brittle, Caramel Apple Honey Jelly, wine, special aprons, nifty measuring devices, etc.

The "glory days" of Belle Meade ended in the early 1900's as the economy faltered and the family got deep into debt. There are no horses there now, and most of the land has been sold off. However, we did enjoy a delicious lunch in the Carriage House before leaving for the Country Music Hall of Fame.

 There are so many things to see in the Country Music Hall of Fame that one almost needs a full day for that. There is a great video that tells much of the history of Country Music, and the museum is full of collectibles from all of the big name stars--both past and present. This is the interior of Webb Pearce's car which shows the saddle lined with silver dollars as the console. In many cases the stories of the stars include the climb from rags to riches. It was very interesting to learn more about the lives of these famous people.



Another highlight was a visit to RCA Records Studio B. It was built in 1957, and became the home of the "Nashville Sound." It helped establish Nashville, TN as an international recording center. Over 35,000 songs were recorded there, including 1,000 hits. At least 40 of the records became million selling singles. Elvis Presley recorded over 200 of his songs there.

Our tour leader was Lisa Wilkerson, and she did an outstanding job of sharing insight into the music of the day and the people that recorded it. We learned about the "X" on the floor which indicated the spot in the room where the acoustics were the very best. And there was the light fixture with bulbs of every color so that the one needed to establish the mood of the song could be used.

Studio B is the only one remaining from the "Nashville Sound" era. It is really amazing that such good music could be made with the limited equipment and facilities they had available. Newer hi-tech studios are used now. Studio B was closed for recording in 1977. It is now owned by a Foundation which leases it to the Country Music Hall of Fame. 

Nashville Trip Day 2

Day two began with a bus tour of Nashville. Lisa Lally served as a tour guide for us. She is one of many artists in Nashville trying to hit the big time. She has performed in Illinois several times and was recommended to us by Martha Speir. Lisa is a cab driver (her cab is pink) and performs when she can.

One stop was at the Parthenon. This is where the group photo posted on the first day was taken. Everyone will be identified later. Other highlights were the Capital Building, Vanderbuilt University, Music Row, The Downtown District, and many other places that we would tour in the next two days. Lisa ended the tour by serenading us with "Harper Valley PTA."

Lunch was at Hattie B's Hot Chicken. It seems there is always a line whether it is lunch or dinner! The chicken was great!

Fontanel was the next stop. It is the log home where Barbara Mandrell lived from 1988 to 2002 until the three kids were grown and the family decided to downsize. It is 27,000 square feet with 20 rooms, 13 bathrooms, 5 fireplaces, 2 kitchens, an indoor pool (that is now sealed over), and an indoor shooting range. Barbara's husband, Ken Dudney designed it, and her daughter Jaime is now the tour manager for the current owners.They are record producers, and Fontanel is often used as a retreat for song writers, a recording studio, etc. There is a log pole in the great room that has been signed by many famous guests including Oprah and Bob Hope.

Carol, Kathy, and Joe may well have been holding a $100,000 guitar as guests are encouraged to sit on the furniture, touch the collectibles, etc. Our tour guide was also a musician who performed for us. It is quite an impressive place!

The Ryman Auditorium is the original home of   "The Grand Ole Opry."

 We were treated to a full tour including the backstage dressing rooms.
The building was originally a Union Gospel Tabernacle Church built in 1892, and is often called the "Mother Church of Country Music." The Grand Ole Opry began there in 1943 and stayed until 1974. It is now housed in a new building at Opryland. However, during November and December, the Opry is held at the Ryman. We all got to walk across (and stand on) the Opry stage as Jananne and Donna are doing here.

The history and story of how the Ryman has survived over the years is quite interesting. You might want to do a Google search and learn more. And don't forget, you can still tune in to the Grand Ole Opry on WSM radio at 650 AM on the dial for every Opry show.

Our day ended with dinner at Puckett's Grocery Store and Restaurant. It is known for slow smoked barbecue and other delicious southern food. Puckett's started as a grocery store in the 1950's, and is now a well-known community kitchen with live performances. We did not stay for the performance, but were definitely well fed!