Hi Folks, I find myself dreaming about the hey day of Country Music with all the great stars of old. Stars like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Pasty Cline, George Jones, Eddy Arnold, Tammy Wynette...the list is endless. Most are gone now...but I have this urge to visit places where I can still find a piece of them today. Last Saturday my wife and I decided to visit the hometown of Minnie Pearl. She was the darling and host of so many Opry shows for many years. Famous for her introductory line of "Howdy"...She never had a cross word towards anyone...her style was to make people laugh about life in general using a loving wit of southern humor and charm. She died in 1996 at the age of 83 from complications from a stoke. Her home town of Centerville is where she came up with stories about Grinders Switch. A fictitious place she made up where the is no illness, no war, only happiness. My trip to Centerville (her Grinders Switch) was a joy. I was met here by all sorts of loving folks. Many of them talked my ear off. They have a small museum of sorts dedicated to her at the local Hickman County Chamber of Commerce. From this place, they carry on the tradition of good home town music with a live radio broadcast every Saturday morning called the Grinder Switch hour. Locals from around the area pack the small venue to sit and enjoy music played by area musicians. I must say...it was a heartwarming experience for me and I felt so welcomed by those I sat and visited with. Here are a few images from the museum dedicated to Minnie. For those who want to see more of Centerville and my time with these wonderful folks, I have a Flickr album you can visit at the link below.
Keep in mind, Centerville is a small town, and has seen it's better days. Sadly many of the stores downtown are no longer in business. Even so, these people are proud of their town.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/james-frazier/albums/72157659669570630

Well James, you jogged my memory. A few years before Minnie Pearl left us I was at the Green Hills Grocery . Standing next to me in front of the meat counter was Ms. Cannon. We were buying the same cut of meat -- calves liver-- Green Hills market was about the only place in town you could buy fresh calves liver.She wanted to know how I prepared the liver. so I told her I always put it in boiling water for a minute before I floured it and put in the skillet for frying. She seemed appalled and frustrated I boiled the liver, she had never heard of anything like that. Anyway thanks for the pics and a pleasant trip. Jamitjim.

Hi Folks, I find myself dreaming about the hey day of Country Music with all the great stars of old. Stars like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Pasty Cline, George Jones, Eddy Arnold, Tammy Wynette...the list is endless. Most are gone now...but I have this urge to visit places where I can still find a piece of them today. Last Saturday my wife and I decided to visit the hometown of Minnie Pearl. She was the darling and host of so many Opry shows for many years. Famous for her introductory line of "Howdy"...She never had a cross word towards anyone...her style was to make people laugh about life in general using a loving wit of southern humor and charm. She died in 1996 at the age of 83 from complications from a stoke. Her home town of Centerville is where she came up with stories about Grinders Switch. A fictitious place she made up where the is no illness, no war, only happiness. My trip to Centerville (her Grinders Switch) was a joy. I was met here by all sorts of loving folks. Many of them talked my ear off. They have a small museum of sorts dedicated to her at the local Hickman County Chamber of Commerce. From this place, they carry on the tradition of good home town music with a live radio broadcast every Saturday morning called the Grinder Switch hour. Locals from around the area pack the small venue to sit and enjoy music played by area musicians. I must say...it was a heartwarming experience for me and I felt so welcomed by those I sat and visited with. Here are a few images from the museum dedicated to Minnie. For those who want to see more of Centerville and my time with these wonderful folks, I have a Flickr album you can visit at the link below.
Keep in mind, Centerville is a small town, and has seen it's better days. Sadly many of the stores downtown are no longer in business. Even so, these people are proud of their town.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/james-frazier/albums/72157659669570630