Quilt Show, Car Show, Banana Pudding Festival, Oh My!

This is the weekend for the Centerville In The Fall Car Show, The Quilt Show, and the Banana Pudding Festival in Centerville in Hickman County in Tennessee. Each of these events have their own websites or Facebook pages where you can find out all the information. Check them out.

http://bananapuddingfest.org/

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=155602921125692

http://www.hickmanco.org/component/content/article/186-hickman-co-quilt-show

I will be there at the various activities throughout the day. If you see me, say hello.

Tennessee Crossroads in Centerville, TN

Centerville has been featured on the local PBS show Tennessee Crossroads. The Grinder's Switch Hour, carried live by Country KIX 96 radio station on Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m., is showcased during one of the segments of the show. The segment has been uploaded to Youtube.com and can be viewed at this link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_YQsr93tyo

Centerville, located in Hickman County, was the birthplace of Minnie Pearl, the comedienne of the Grand Ole Opry.

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.

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.

Angie Laster On Youtube From Grinder's Switch Hour

Each week on Saturday, radio station KIX 96 (96.7 F.M.), has a live radio show from Centerville, TN. It is named the Grinder's Switch Hour, in honor of the town that Minnie Pearl made famous in her comedy routine. Yes, there really is a place called Grinder's Switch that is just outside the Centerville city limits in Hickman County.

This past Saturday, a local favorite, Angie Laster sang on the show. Her rendition of the Janis Joplin hit, "Me and Bobby McGee ' is good and I hope all of you that read this will click on the link on Youtube.com and listen to her. There are several of her songs on there. Listen to them also and tell your friends. You will like what you hear.

Angie Laster on the Grinder's Switch Hour

Car Show Held By Civitan Group in Centerville

A Hickman County Times article on September 28, reminded me that the 28th annual "Centerville In The Fall Auto Show" rolls into town this Saturday, October 3. Admission is free. Registration is $20 per car and the cars will be judged in the afternoon. Prizes will be awarded at 4:00. It will be held in the parking lot of the Hickman County Justice Center and about 125 entrants are expected. Live music as well as a Minnie Pearl impersonator will complete the day.

Ed Bruce to Perform at Grinder's Switch Music & Arts Festival

Ed Bruce, co-writer of Mama's Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys, will perform at the Grinder's Switch Music and Arts Festival in Centerville, TN in Hickman County on September 12. He is scheduled to perform at 5:00 p.m.

The festival, which is always the Saturday after Labor Day, features many local and regional acts and begins at 10:00 a.m. with opening ceremonies. At 11:00 is the Grinder's Switch Hour, which is a local radio program that is live each Saturday morning.

There will also be plenty of fun and games for everyone to enjoy. So come on out to the Grinder's Switch Music & Arts Festival and enjoy the music.

Grinder's Switch is the place that Minnie Pearl always talked about in her Grand Ole Opry act.

Who Woudda Thunk It?

The Revitalization Project of the Centerville, Tennessee Square is almost complete. For those of you that don't know, the square, in Hickman County, has undergone a complete transformation. No longer does one have to go around the square to get to the other side. Recently, Hwy 100 has been rerouted straight across the West side.

TDOT has also put up - not one, but two - traffic lights. One is located as you come up on the square from the Nashville side and the other is directly opposite. At first, it was a bit confusing, but as you get used to it, it is OK. According to the Hickman County Times, new lights were placed around the Centerville Public Square that makes it easier to see at night. The traffic lights were turned on last Thursday.

I remember when there was a traffic light in Centerville. It was many years ago and it seems that someone was always shooting it out. That was way back when Minnie Pearl had a restaurant there.

I like the way that the traffic is routed now. It makes it easier to get around Centerville; however, having owned a business on the Square, I think that rerouting may prove the death of small businesses there. Businesses had a hard enough time getting people to shop when they had to go around the square. Now people don't even have to look at the businesses on the East side. But, around here, small businesses have always had a hard way to go

Minnie Pearl Statue Removed From Centerville

The Minnie Pearl Statue was removed from the Centerville Square. According to the original agreement, the statue could only be removed for repairs to the statue. The square is undergoing renovations and the statue needed to be removed and the one that spearheaded the campaign to have Minnie placed there, removed the statue to a nearby county. Most citizens hope that it can be worked out to bring the statue back to the square after the renovations are completed.