A Little Disappointed!

I tried hard not to write this blog entry; I waited several days before I finally decided to.

This past Saturday was a fund raiser for the victims of the "Great Flood" in May. It was billed as "Saturday Night In Hickman County." I suppose this was a reference to the Johnny Cash song by the same name. The concert was held at the Ag pavilion in Grinders Switch - home of Minnie Pearl. Several local acts were performing there and then there was the Crickets - as in Buddy Holly and the Crickets. The drummer, J. I. Allison lives in Lyles, just up the road from Centerville in Hickman County.

Signs were in most business windows around. The information was passed around on Facebook; it was on the radio. So what happened? Where were the people? It only cost $5 to enter and then you could give a donation. I don't know how many showed up throughout the day, but for the Cricket concert, there were only a few hundred.

People in small towns generally don't have a lot of money and perhaps it was too close to the Banana Pudding Festival the week before - at the same location. It drew thousands.

Perhaps it was too long of a day - I only came a couple hours before the Crickets. But, the acts that I heard were great and gave performances fit for an audience of thousands. Thanks to all of the acts that performed, all of the volunteers, and all that came out. I wish more had.

Banana Pudding Festival Winner

The winner of the Banana Pudding Festival in Hickman County, Tennessee is... You can read about the winner on her blog about the festival. Centerville, TN and Grinder's Switch was the place to be. If you missed it, you missed a treat (pun intended).

What a Day In Centerville, TN

Yesterday was a busy day in Hickman County. Usually in small towns, people seem to complain that there is not much to do, however, if you were anywhere near Centerville, Tennessee you knew something was going on. People were everywhere.

While my wife, George Ann was at the quilt show, I started out at the Car Show at theHickman County Justice Center. Even though this has been held for over two decades, I have never taken the time to go there. I know how to put gas in and change the oil. That's about it. But, walking by and seeing these cars - many from years ago - really was fun. I liked the '56 T-bird convertible and the Austin Healy (that is the one Jill had on Home Improvement.). There were lots of Corvettes that I would get a ticket in if I owned one. And there were plenty of trucks. Some of the vehicles looked as though they were handled with "kids gloves."

Next, we - my youngest son Zack and I - walked to the quilt show. A lady at the door handed us a piece of paper and said to pick out the quilt we liked the most. I don't know anything about quilts other than when I was young they would keep me warm at night. However, I know what I thought was pretty so we wrote down a number. There were lots of quilts there and to my surprise, I spent a little time looking at them. I could not imagine how long it took people to make a quilt in the "old days."

From there we drove to the Banana Pudding Festival at the Ag Pavilion and Fairgrounds inGrinder's Switch - the place Minnie Pearl made famous in her comedy routine. I really did not know what to expect and wondered if very many people would show up. Wow! What a surprise. When we arrived, the lady collecting money at the gate said that it had been lots of people through there. We parked in a field and walked to the main pavilion where there were hundreds of people listening to music. People were everywhere. I would like to know exactly how many were there, but I bet throughout the day there were thousands. There were two areas for live bands, a small area for children with the bouncy things, food of all kinds. Free Ice cream from Purity. I ate the rib-eye sandwich from the Lions Club - it was delicious. We ate the banana pudding and put our dollar in the one we thought was best. George Ann and I disagreed - which is not unusual. But, she has the right to be wrong.

I was happy with the way the day turned out. I had a good time although I was tired by the end of the day and I look forward to next year. After seeing the crowds in Centerville yesterday, maybe better days are ahead for Hickman County.

Centerville In The Fall Car Show

If you like cars, Centerville, TN will be the place to be on October 4, 2010, . The annual Centerville in the Fall Car Show will be held at the Hickman County Justice Center, just off the Centerville Square. There will be 42 awards with 10 special awards. The show is open to all makes and models and Dash Plaques will be given to the first 125 entries. Door prizes will be given and food will be available. If you need more information, call (931) 729-4576.

Drew Luckett Memorial Scholarship Fundraiser In Centerville, TN

On Saturday, August 21, 2010, the Drew Luckett Memorial Scholarship fundraiser will be held at the Skyview Country Club in Centerville, TN. The entry fee is $200 per team in the 4-person golf scramble. The tournament begins at 8:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Shotgun Start. Lunch will be served 11:30 until 1:00 and is only $5.00

$5,000 cash will be given for the 1st hole-in-one and there will be prizes for the longest drive contest and closest to the pin contest. Free demos by Ping, Mizuno, and Callaway Golf are available.

For more information or to reserve your spot contact Tim Luckett (931)209-6944, Buzz Maddox (931) 729-4548 or the Skyview Country Club (931) 729-2444. All proceeds go to the Drew Luckett Memorial Golf Scholarship fund which benefits the Hickman County High School.

Centerville, TN Fair On The Square 2010

Centerville, Tennessee in Hickman County is the place to be on September 11. The 18th annual Grinder's Switch Music And Arts Festival begins at 9:00a.m. with opening ceremonies to be held at 10:00 and a live broadcast of the Grinder's Switch Hour on KIX 96 radio station to follow.

Plenty of food will be available to fill anybody and music will be held just about all day. According to the Hickman County Times, several local acts are scheduled to appear including, Grinder's Switch Skillet Lickers, Brothers In Christ, Double Down Band, Bobby Marquez, raw Country and the Grinder's Switch Ensemble. There is music for everyone.

Come on out to Centerville and have a good time.

For more information visit the Hickman County Chamber of Commerce website http://www.HickmanCo.org or call them at (931) 729-5594

Come One, Come All to the Hickman County Fair

Come one! Come all! to the Hickman County fair in Grinders Switch- made famous by Minnie Pearl in her comedy routines - in Centerville, Tennessee. On August 25-28, the Hickman County Agriculture Pavilion and Fairgrounds will host the annual fair.

Come enjoy the rides, funnel cakes, cotton candy, the games. Throw baseballs till your arms get tired to win that stuffed animal.

Have a good time.