What's That...What's Going On?!

It's been awhile, about 30 days, since I've posted, which is getting to be about par for the course.  So, I thought I would bring those interested up to date, and maybe prove the point, that retirement is loads of fun!

True, the fun is often broken by a low spot, like the last prostrate laser surgery, but boy, has it ever helped.  If you listen at the door, you would think a young horse was relieving himself!  I mean...even when I was young I never had a stream like the one I'd proudly show off now!

Anyway, I'm back to feeling myself (not literally), and having fun.

Dennis Tufano, Stevie G, and Steve Jarrell

I guess the first great adventure I had following the outpatient procedure was the "Dennis Tufano" concert Princess Productions put on down at the Princess Theatre.  He has lost little in his voice, the original voice of the Buckinghams, and his back up band, The Rockerz, with lead singer and guitarist Stevie G, did a bang up job.  The vintage ladies in the audience were screaming like they were 16 again and the boys on stage loved it!

I'll have to put in a plug for Michael "Crawdaddy" Crawley too.  He warmed up the crowd with his box of harps and his gravelly bluesy sounding voice.  He and went outside at break and took a few snaps of the Princess.

Bill Landry, Elizabeth Rose, Sam Venable, and Jim Claborn

They all loved our Princess, and I sure hope this gets things rolling downtown.  We plan on bringing in a quartet of storytellers next.  They are quite a crew, and well known to East Tennessee.  They spin yarns of Appalachia, country folklore, and even a golf and fishing tale might come out.  I had a recent promo photo shoot with them and they keep me rolling the entire afternoon and into the evening over a brew!

Judy and I are still out hiking when we can, even though the wildflowers came early, we still enjoy a walk down a wooded path by a mountain stream.  There just something about the woods that brings the child out in me again.  Being raised essentially an only child, being ten years older than my brother, I found solace from loneliness among the quietness of Tennessee forests.  I did my best thinking out there and discovered a lot about my self and the world there.

It's like the bear we recently came upon in Cades Cove, or the deer in the front yard.  They are my kind of people!  The only animal we came across that I don't consider "good people, was the grey snake at John Cable's mill!

Even the horses in the fields I see almost everyday take me back to a time when I got to be a kind of country cowboy, riding through the woods with my cousin Larry.  

Or the time Richard Lacher and I sneaked into a "walking horse" barn near our trailer park in Florence.  There we met the devil, and his name was "Midnight Sun", a Tennessee Walker of some renown.  

He saw us before anyone and wanted to kill us immediately, although "walkers" are generally gentle!  Came right up to us, trying to break through the steel gate, snorting like the wild thing he wanted to be again!  Probably was all that anger in having to wear those cruel weighted shoes, "stacks" (stacked pads), or weighted chains his trainer made him wear.

I discovered from the embedded web link that he was born in 1940 and accumulated quite record over his career, being a world champion in 1945 and 1946.

Last weekend I shot the "Cruisin' Harriman" car show downtown, which occurs the second Saturday of each month, April - August.  That's always a hoot, and I love community events, and the history that comes alive because of them.  Take this Saturday, it's the seventh annual WWII reenactment at the Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.  I can't wait to see all those tanks, half-tracks, and American and German reenactors running amidst all that smoke and gunfire!  Talk about a hoot and a feast for a photographer!

Photo actually by Kaitlyn Russell

I missed a great feast last week by being too old to tackle Bonnaroo!  The only shot I got was from my granddaughters iPhone...the arch as you enter the rock'n playground for wannabe hippies!  Alas, it's as close as I'll ever get, but I just want to give her credit for sticking it out!  She almost gave it up after the first day of heat, and being ignored, but sucked it up and stuck it out for the full "right of passage" tour!

I'll stick to my hikes, waterfalls, old barns, lotus ponds, and visits to the strange "world's tallest tree house" in Crossville!  That's about as far out as I want to get these days.  That's my element at this stage in my life.

So, I'll sign off by telling you that I'm bushed...we had a big thunderstorm last evening, with the power going off at 9PM and not coming back on until 5AM.  I don't sleep well in the dark...pitch darkness, that is, or in quietness so still I can hear my heart beating.  At this age you think the next beat might be the last one, and you just don't want to hear that last one.  I run an air filter in my room to mask all the static noise...heart beats, squeaks from house expansion and expansion, crickets outside, the refrigerator running, or Judy snoring!  Without, I'm wide awake!

The rain and hail came down in buckets, and I was still there clicking away.  I made these HDR renditions of it all, even catching that spooky orange glow that comes in some storms.  

So with that...see ya next time...maybe sooner than 30 days...IF I got got shots during the war games!

BILL LANDRY APPOINTED AS EAST TENNESSEE'S HISTORICAL COMMISSION REPRESENTATIVE

I'm a little late getting this out, but I just received the press release about, and a photo of, my friend Bill Landry and his new book that is coming out next month*.  However, the current big news is his appointment as East Tennessee's Historical Commission Representative.

 _____________________

The official announcement reads:
Governor, Bill Haslam, announced on July 5, 2011 that Bill Landry has been appointed as East Tennessee Representative of the Tennessee Historical Commission. The appointment is effective immediately and runs through June 30, 2016. 

 

In making the announcement, the Governor writes:

“In the thorough, aggressive search for candidates, your individual characteristics and professional qualifications were exceptional among the number of nominees who expressed interest. I consider it very important to ensure that Tennessee’s boards and commissions are filled with the most dedicated and qualified citizens. I believe that your participation   is certain to leave a positive impact on this board and the work it does. 

 

Thank you for your interest in state government and for your willingness to serve your fellow citizens of Tennessee in this way. Please accept my very best wishes. I look forward to working with you and all Tennesseans to make our great state an even better place to live, work, and raise a family.”  

        

Landry is best known as the voice, host/narrator, and co-producer of THE HEARTLAND SERIES, which is in its 26th year of running on WBIR-TV, Channel 10, in Knoxville, Tennessee. Since it began in 1984, over 1,900 short features have been produced, including 150 half-hour specials. WBIR –TV suspended production of the short features in September 2009, but continues to produce four hour-long specials annually. 

Landry’s appointment coincides with the much anticipated publication of his new book, “Appalachian Tales and Heartland Adventures.” Celtic Cat Publishing will release the 200 page tabletop book in September 2011*. The book includes approximately 170 pictures and 100 stories that provide behind the scenes insight into the making of the Series.  

Most recently, Landry has been assisting with the development of the Princess Theater Educational Complex in Harriman, Tennessee; teaching at Lincoln Memorial University; working with Hallsdale/Powell Utilities, and doing voice-overs with Sevier County Economic Development Council for their web site. Landry lives in Tallassee, Tennessee with his wife, Becky, next to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  

For more info:  Contact: Jim Johnston, 250-9964

*Bill's book will be sold locally at the Rocky Top General Store.  I'll let you know when it is available, and when Bill will be there to autograph your copy!

A BOOK SIGNING

Nope, not something I would normally do, but, as it turned out, I had a ball and met some new friends.

A gentleman named Al Williams (seated in "Big Orange" shirt), wrote a children's book called "A Friend Indeed", proceeds from the book’s sales go to Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee.  So, he and Myra Yeatman, of the BBBS organization, invited others to come and support the sales of the book at the book signing this past Saturday.

Muse Watson, of NCIS and movie fame, Bill Landry, local icon and narrator of the "Heartland Series" for over 25 years, Tennessee basketball coach Bruce Pearl, and alumni basketball star Dane Bradshaw showed up in support.

Muse and Bill are long time friends of mine, but Myra Yeatman (above middle), Al, Bruce, and Dane are new acquaintances.  My son, Corey, was so jealous of me getting to rub shoulders with his basketball heroes! 

Muse and Bill are going to be at the newly opened Channel 15 Station in Harriman, TN this evening, so I'll get to hang out a little more.  However, I'll probably be sharing the experience with a crowd of people wanting to see the studio, see Muse and Bill, and get their DVD of "A Christmas Snow" signed.

While I'm on the subject of Channel 15, please check out my Princess Theater blog.  We are working on a complex of buildings in the center of Harriman, TN that will provide local high school and Roane State Community College (RSCC) hands on experience in operating and producing television and stage productions.  

The complex will be called “Princess Performing Arts, Education and Conference Center”.  It will include the television station, the newly restored Princess Theater, and a series of other connected buildings that will eventually house a conferencing center, green rooms, and storage for musical instruments, costumes, and stage props.  

So anyway, back on subject, I had a ball at the Borders book signing in Knoxville, and I'm sure the celebs did as well.  

Come see us when you can!

NEW FILM SEGMENTS SHOT IN ROANE COUNTY TENNESSEE

Veteran film and television director Harry Thomason is planning a film about the last ride Hank Williams, Sr. took, and has already begun collecting film clips for the production.

It is most probable that the ’52 Cadillac, driven by 18-year-old Charles Carr, with Hank asleep in the back seat, came through Roane County Tennessee sometime on New Year’s Eve 1952. They were on their way to Canton, OH and points north, for new bookings intended to be a new beginning for Hank’s career.

On the anniversary of that occurrence, December 31st, Bill Landry coordinated/directed, and Doug Mills filmed several local vintage automobiles driving around the area. This footage was procured by Harry Thomason for his planned movie "The Last Ride”. Thomason called Bill on Wednesday, but Bill was still able to get the needed cars, including a baby blue ’53 Cadillac convertible belonging to Rex Walls. The car is basically like the one Hank Williams was riding in as he passed this way. filmed several local vintage automobiles driving around the area. This footage was procured by Harry Thomason for his movie “

See more of the story and photos on the Princess Blog!

See more photos HERE!

I'M STILL BLOGGING - JUST NOT HERE AS MUCH

Most of my time lately has been devoted to my Princess Theater blog, and the stage show production "Appalachian Dreams" that will happen this coming Saturday.

The show will star local celebrity Bill Landry (star of the "Heartland Series"), and is directed by Michael Golebiewski (Head of the Humanities Department at Roane State Community College - RSCC).

The show, first of many to come, will raise funds needed to restore the Princess Theater to her former glory, and create an arts and cultural center that will help revitalize Downtown Harriman, Tennessee.

Anyway, as you will see from the blog, everyone has been very busy rehearsing for the show. The show is made up of area talent, and will be shown in a format similar to Garrison Keillor's "Pairie Home Companion" show on PBS. The crew and some of the acting talent is made up of students from Bill Landry's Media Production class at RSCC. It will be quite an experience for all involved.When rehearsal was over last evening, a storm had just passed through the area, leaving the streets wet. As I passed the Princess Theater in town, on my way home, noticed that someone had left the marquee lights on outside. I pulled over and snapped this photo. It almost appeared that the theater was open again. That is the dream...that one day soon it will be open for business once again.