Destination Branson Pt. 1: Getting There

The first post for this week is a couple of day's late because of a weekend trip.

My wife and I traveled to attend the wedding of the youngest daughter of our friends, Mark & Patty, who live in St. Louis. But the ceremony didn't take place there. Instead they hosted a destination wedding in a place I've wanted to visit for a few years now, Branson, MO. In the next few posts I'm going to be sharing with you our experiences there and impressions of the area.

But first a little back story. I grew up listening to singer Andy Williams and watching him on TV. He was my dad's favorite singer. He had at least half a dozen of his albums. So Andy Williams is one of those things that really makes me feel close to my dad.

Ever since I read about the singer Andy Williams' ties to the town in his biography I wanted to go see the theater he build in Branson. Of course he's no longer performing there (he died in 2012) but the Moon River Theater, which is an important part of Branson's entertainment scene and its history, is still there.

In addition, over the years I have learned that a lot of the singers and entertainers popular in the 60s and 70s have their own Branson shows as well.

In my first post on this blog mentioned that I live in a pretty good location because it is within a days drive of many tourist destinations.

Branson is just under 500 miles away, from us, in the Ozark mountains in the southwest corner of the "show me" state near the northern Arkansas border. On the map it looks almost directly west of us.

We left our driveway about 9:30 AM on Friday heading northwest, then, across the Western Kentucky Parkway toward Paducah, KY.
This was a route we had never traveled before so we were in for some new travel experiences.

When Paula and I are on the road we try to drive for 2 hours in between rest stops. Sometimes we do it and some times we don't. But when we do stop we try to find a nice Love's or Pilot truck stop. If there is none around we try to scout out a nice convenience  store that, hopefully has decent restrooms.

On this trip we found a couple of new stores to put on our "okay to stop" list. We found several Casey's General Stores, Signal stores and Phillps 66 truck stops that were nice. I really liked the two Casey's that we found. We even had some pretty decent convenience store pizza for a snack at one of them.

We left the bluegrass state and we drove through part of southern Illinois on our way to Missouri. Our GPS guided us through the area effected by the flooding of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. This is part of the country that had been deluged with rainfall over the last couple of weeks.

We were detoured on I-57 because one of the bridges to Missouri was blocked by flood waters. It was a minor inconvenience and the roads were totally safe; but seeing the two rivers spread out to where their banks had totally disappeared took us back a bit.

Once I-57 intersected with I-55 in Missouri, it changed to state route 60. We stayed on 60 for nearly 180 miles. It snaked through the lush green hills of the Ozark Mountains. Driving it was a little daunting. Every time I found myself at the top of a steep hill, just over the peak I would see the road ahead of me unfold down into another valley and then rise once again; disappearing over the next hill. I would reset my sights and accelerate forward over the next stretch of hills. 

Finally, we reached Missouri state route 65 near Springfield and headed south on the last leg of our journey. As we drew closer and closer to our destination exit, signs of the tourist industry began to dot the scenery. Billboards and advertisements for activities and shows. Information and welcome centers reminded us of the ten miles of highway that leads into Pigeon Forge, in the Smoky Mountains.

The main road going through Branson is route 76 aka Country Boulevard. It too, looks very similar to the parkway that runs through Pigeon Forge. There are a couple of big differences though.

First there are a lot more theaters. We passed four of the more popular ones on our way to our hotel. Just like the Smokies, Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede show is there. The Dick Clark American Bandstand Theater has been on Country Blvd. since 2012.

I was excited when I saw Andy Williams' Moon River Theater.

The King's Castle Theater was at the corner of the intersection near our hotel.

We turned right off Country Blvd and headed down the Wildwood Avenue hill.

Let me take a step back and just mention the main thing that separates the Branson area from the Smoky Mountains area. That would be hills. Everything is on a hill. From here on in this post series the word "hill" will have a constant presence in my stories. Now let's get a back to arrival day.
Our hotel was downhill from the History of Fishing Museum.

The Grand Plaza Hotel was where Mark & Patty, along with their daughter's wedding party, and most family, friends, and guests would be spending the weekend. This picture was taken from halfway up the Wildwood Avenue hill. The fishing museum is in the foreground.

We had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed spending time with Mark & Patty to celebrate their daughter's wedding. We feel blessed that we were given the opportunity to be a part of the whole weekend.

I'm not going to write a hotel review in this blog. But I do have to mention something that had a negative impact on our weekend. That would be the parking situation. 

As I mentioned the hotel was on a steep hill. The front of the hotel which faced uphill toward Country Blvd. had a parking lot with spaces for only about 1/3 of the hotel guests. If you couldn't get one of those spots you had to park in the auxiliary lots behind the hotel. These were very much down hill from the hotel. In addition not only were they on a hill vertically, they were on a hill horizontally too.

If you parked on the slant of one of the auxiliary lots, you walked to the top, turned to your right and climbed 2 or 3 sets of stairs (I'd estimate about 50 to 75 steps, I didn't count them) before getting to the hotel entrance.  Here's a picture taken from the auxiliary lot.

We had to do this 3 or 4 times during our stay. Because of my drop foot condition, climbing steps is very difficult for me. Having to walk up several sets of stairs to get up to the hotel was exhausting. It made me tired and frustrated. It's an awful way to have to walk into a hotel.

With that said, overall the Grand Plaza in Branson was nice but it is an independent hotel that's in need of some updating and redecorating. There are only 2 elevators and that makes them very crowded and difficult to access during busy times of the day. And of course, the parking situation, especially for handicapped guests, needs to be changed.

The best thing about the hotel was the free breakfast it offered on the 9th floor every morning. It was a buffet with just about anything you wanted for breakfast. However it did not offer my wife's (and the rest of the world) favorite, bacon. But it was a very nice way to start each day. You could sit at a window and get a nice view of the area. 

As in any other resort area, Branson has it's share of restaurants. On our first evening there we joined Mark & Patty and their other guests for diner at a Shorty Smalls, a family restaurant serving Southern style cuisine.

The Branson location is 1 of only 3 in the country. The other two are in Little Rock, AK and Oklahoma City, OK.

The atmosphere in the dinning room we where were all seated was busy with the combination of socializing of our group and the wait staff serving about 3 dozen people at the same time.

The wall I was facing while seated next to Mark and my wife had portraits of Andy Williams with other celebrities from the 60s. It was just another reminder of the singer's connection to the town.

After dinner we went back to our hotel room and unpacked. The wedding wasn't until Sunday so we had a free day the next day. As it turned out it would be a fun and exciting one. More on that next time. Thanks for taking the time to read this post. Come back Friday for more. 

Up Ahead: My 60th Year

Welcome to the end of the first full week of June 2019. Before I get started, I want to let you know that if you don't get anything else out of this post, I want to take notice of the link to my wife's Facebook group where she will introduce you to Color Street. "What is that?", you ask. I will tell you about it a little later as well as providing a link.  You can click it and see for yourself. Even if it's not something that's for you, believe me you know someone who will love it. Now, let's get to today's post. 

The months of May and June are filled with special occasions (birthdays, anniversaries, holidays) for my family. This year, it includes an event that takes the next generation of my family to a new level. All of my parent's grandchildren have graduated from high school. 

For me, personally, once the 2nd week of June arrives, I start the 3 month countdown to my birthday. I've always used the one day of the year that acknowledges my existence on this earth as a marker for taking personal inventory and setting goals. 

This year's birthday is the start of a milestone year for me. It will be my 60th. To me, that means the opportunity to celebrate transitioning from my 50s to my 60s. 

During my 50th year, I did a lot of things. These included: a family gathering the Smoky Mountains for my son's wedding; a vacation to Washington DC; attending my nephew's graduation in Pennsylvania; a solo road trip to Milwaukee and Chicago to see two baseball games in two days; and finally, getting to spend my actual birthday in the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World and visiting Universal's Island of Adventure park to see Wizarding World Of Harry Potter, Hogsmead village. 

Those are just the highlights of one of the best years of my life. I don't know how I'm going to make the year leading up to turning 60 better than that but I do plan on making it one that's comparable. 

Given that the biggest goal for my wife and me during our 60s is for both of us being retired; I'm looking to start making some personal improvements during my 60th year. Those that will make our "golden years" more enjoyable. 

My travel goals for my 60th year include: an extended visit with my family in Pennsylvania; a return to the beach; going to see the New York Yankees play in either Chicago, Cincinnati or St. Louis; and I'd like to visit Universal's Diagon Alley and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

I'm not sure if any of these travel goals will happen but I do have one goal closer to home that will. I want to get back to bike riding. Because of issues with my balance that have developed as I've gotten older, I can no longer safely ride the bicycle I own now. This means if I want to start pedaling around town again, I have to buy something with a little more stability and easier to handle.  

Because of a couple of different factors, including cost, I probably won't realistically accomplish this goal until next spring. But it's definitely near the top of my list. I love bike riding so much and it's a great way to exercise. More on this goal when I get closer to it.  

A couple of months ago, my wife started her own business. She is an independent stylist for a company named Color Street. She has been helping her friends save money on their manicures and pedicures with the beautiful designs and amazing quality of Color Street strips. 

If you polish your nails to compliment your wardrobe, or just radiate style or know someone who does; please visit and join my wife's Facebook group and have a look around. Here's the link: Paula's Nail Haven

Guys, if you share this link and introduce Color Street to your wife or significant other, I promise, they will be grateful. 

Paula has put so much hard work into this new endeavor and has had amazing success in a relatively short time. Over this process she has stepped out of her "comfort zone" time and time again. Going on "Facebook Live" each week for special sales and application demos is probably the most surprising example of this. She has "gone for it" with enthusiasm and determined focus. I can see her grow as a person on a daily basis. I am so proud of her.

Seeing her devotion to her Color Street business has inspired me to start putting the effort and work it takes to accomplish some of the goals I've had for a long time. This blog is one of those. I have others that I'm still working on. 

Consistently putting in the work required to reach some of my long time goals is not something I'm very good at. But with the start of a new phase of life on the horizon and my wife as an inspiration, I think it's about time I get'er done. 

Just like my last milestone birthday, I had planned for the "Ron @ 60" celebration to  span a whole year, from September to September. But thanks to the example my wife has shown me along with some other factors I'm going subscribe to the adapt an old adage. Today is the first day of the rest of my 50s. So I'll be actively preparing for my 60s starting now.  

With all that said, starting now, I'm looking forward the adventure my year long 60th celebration will bring. Also it's with optimism and hope I look forward to the next decade and beyond. 

   

Before I go I just want to let y'all know that due to some personal travel plans, next week's first post won't be available until sometime Tuesday. But I promise it's going to be something you won't want to miss. See you then. 

A Most Unusual Pharmacy

Hello and welcome to June.  

I'm going to begin this post with a trivia question about song lyrics. 

Play fair, no "googling" please.  Here is the question:  

Since today is June 3, can you name two pop music hits that begin with the words "It was the 3rd of June"?

Hint: They were hits ten years apart (1967 & 1977, respectively); each by a solo artist.  

I will give you the answer at the end of this post.

My plans for this month include a couple of interesting things. In a couple of weeks I will have a new travel experience to write about. 

My wife and I are going to a wedding in a place that's a well known midwest vacation destination but we've never been there. More on that later in the month. 

At the end of the month I will be returning to one of my life long passions. Of course, I will share the details in a post about it early in July. 

Today, I'm going to be sharing with you my return experience at a small but popular restaurant in north west Nashville. 

Last Tuesday, I went to Hendersonville, which is just north of Nashville, to buy some new clothes for the wedding I mentioned earlier. 

While I was there I decided to get some lunch before heading home. I wanted a place unique to the area but all I saw were chain restaurants or fast food places. 

Then I remembered one of the most unique places I ever eaten in Music City called "The Pharmacy". 

My wife and I went there with our friend, Patty and her daughter, Amy, a few years ago before going to a Brad Paisley concert. Amy lived in Nashville at the time and it was her suggestion. Here's a picture of my dinner companions from that visit. 

A quick search on my GPS showed me that getting to the place was a short 20 minute trip by way of the Briley and Ellington parkways. I decided, since I had nothing else to do in the city that day, I'd go get some lunch. 

The place is known for American and German cuisine, as well as a wide selection of beers. Their website and signage on the building promotes the place as a "Burger Parlor and Beer Garden." 

But what made me want to go back, and also explains the reason for it's name is  their "soda shop" selection. 

They serve a wide variety of flavored sodas and ice cream based drinks. Just like the soda fountains that were a part of every neighborhood pharmacy back in the 1930s & 40s. 

The best example of what these were can be seen in the first half hour of the classic Christmas movie, "It's A Wonderful Life." Here's a link to a You Tube clip that shows a 12 year old George Bailey working behind the a soda fountain at the Bedford Falls Pharmacy. 

It's A Wonderful Live Soda Fountain Scene

The most unique thing The Pharmacy serves from the fountain is called a phosphate. It's a specially mixed flavored soda. I've never had one but from what I've been told they are pretty good. I won't go into detail about them. You can find out more with a web search. 

The first time I went to The Pharmacy, in order to keep peace with my digestive system, I didn't partake of anything from the Soda Shop menu. I have to admit, getting a chocolate malt was my main motivation for my return visit. 

It's located on Mcferrin Avenue in a quite area known as Greenwood. It's in what seems like a nice lower middle class suburban neighborhood. 

During peak time, parking behind the restaurant can be at a premium. Spaces are very limited. I was lucky enough to get the one and only handicapped spot.

Except for the sign on the window, to say the building is not anything elaborate is an understatement. 

The door is only wide enough for one person to go through it at a time. This is rather inconvenient during busy times.

I got there just a little after 11:30. The lunch crowd had not yet arrived. i was seated right away. There are 4 seating options. You can sit at the bar, or at a small table in the same room. 

There's a 2nd level of inside seating with picnic tables; then there's the outside patio area. I was going to sit out on their patio. But because it was very sunny and quite warm already I opted for the 2nd indoor level. 

I was led to the 2nd level and the host placed my menu directly in the middle of a picnic table. Because of the brace I wear I had a bit of difficulty negotiating between the seat and the table in order to sit down. Eventually, i did manage to get somewhat comfortable. 

The place has a rather extensive menu. With all the choices I mentioned before and more. Here's a link to their food menu as listed on their website. 

The Pharmacy Food Menu

Since I had a burger the last time, and it was delicious, I opted for some German kielbasa with a side order of fries. When the waiter asked if I wanted sauerkraut, I requested to have it on the side. 

I only waited about 10 minutes until my food arrived. Here's a picture of my meal. 

The fries are some of the best I've ever had; but like most fries have to be eaten while they are still hot. Also, there is way too many of them for one person to eat. The kielbasa was served on a bun but I only ate the meat. It was good but not what I had expected. 

When I order Kielbasa, I expect something similar to smoked sausage but The Pharmacy's Kielbasa was more like a bratwurst.

After I was finished with my meal, I ordered a chocolate malt milkshake to go. I was a little disappointed that it was only the size of a small Starbucks coffee and it cost about the same. It was very good but nothing special about it. It was just like a malt you'd get from anywhere else. That being said, I really like chocolate malts. However, I think next time I'll try a phosphate soda. 

I paid the check which included my drink, meal, milk shake and tip. It was about $25. I think that's on the pricey side for lunch but I was treating myself so I figured it was okay. 

Although there is a wait staff to serve you and the food quality is well above your average burger joint; there are things about The Pharmacy that makes it feel like your local counter service casual dinning barbecue place rather than a table service restaurant. The picnic table seating, the single supply of straws and napkins in a wooden dispenser at the center of the table to be used by everyone even if they aren't with you are some of them.In addition, the fact that the waiter brought the diet coke I ordered in a can with a cup of ice and I had to pour it myself was kind of disappointing as well. 

The juxtaposition of the 2nd level full of picnic tables of being just a few steps up from tavern atmosphere of the bar area kind of sends a mixed message as to just what kind of dinning experience you are supposed to be enjoying. But if you can handle the ambient contradiction and focus on the food it's a nice place to eat. 

If you happen to find yourself in the Opry Mills/Gaylord Opryland/Opry Mills Mall area or the downtown Nashville and are looking for some good food in a unique setting; make the 15 minute drive to McFerrin Avenue to have a meal at The Pharmacy. 

Here's a link to their website if you want directions and more information. 

The Pharmacy Restaurant. 

Now, as promised, here's the answer to the music trivia question I asked at the beginning of this post. 

The words, "It was the 3rd of June" begin the 1967 #1 Bobby Gentry hit, Ode To Billy Joe and also Neil Diamond's 1977 #16 hit, Desire. 

Did you get the answer? Did you look it up? Feel free to use this little fun fact to impress your friends the rest of the day. 

Thanks again for taking the time to read this post. I hope you enjoy it. If you've been to "The Pharmacy" restaurant let me know what you thought of it. 

Or if you ever get the chance to visit Nashville I hope you'll try it out and then let me know what you think. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. Come back again on Friday for another edition of the "Yankee Near Nashville" blog.  

Front Yard Fun...Now

Welcome to part 2 of my post about summer time fun. 

I mentioned at the conclusion of part 1 that the water battles I fought "then"  helped me create a memorable day in the "now." That's because those memories serve as a guideline when it came time for some hot weather fun with my grandchildren. I want to share the story of that day with y'all. 

Last Friday was the final day of 1st grade for my grand daughter. My wife and I went to her school to see her participate in the closing ceremonies for the school year. 

After we saw her receive citizenship award from her principal, we brought her home to spend the day with us. Later that afternoon, her little brother joined us.  

It was a bright sunny day in south central Kentucky but it was unseasonably warm for May. The kids wanted to play outside. They love to play outside. When my wife and I insisted that it was too hot to be playing outside, my 7 year old grand-daughter suggested we get some water balloons.

Unable to come up with a reason not to, we acquiesced to her idea. Her Nana took her to the Dollar Store to get some balloons.  

We decided that the front yard was the best place to access the outside water supply and have fun. 

Even though they were sold as "water balloons" and came with their own faucet adapter; these were so small and thin half of them ripped before I even got them over the spigot. 

I could quickly tell that with these balloons, playtime wasn't going to be as much fun as we had anticipated. 

I decided we needed an balloon upgrade so I went back to our local dollar store. While I was gone, Paula kept the kids entertained by trying to fill some of the "defective" balloons. 

As I made my way through the seasonal aisle of the Dollar Store, one of the little guys in my brain went into my mental filing cabinet and accessed the file marked "front yard water fun". He read me the items on the list. 

I browsed up and down that aisle collecting the items I had recalled from my childhood. 

Soon I was back at my house with a hose, a faucet divider, 100 blue easy-fill, self-sealing water balloons, and a toy puppy dog sprinkler. All I thought we would need to have a great time. 

I put the water balloons in a large grey plastic storage bin so they wouldn't break. Once they were filled it was time for the fun to begin. 

The kids had a great time throwing the balloons at me and at each other. Their Nana sat on the sidelines watching and taking pictures. 

We played catch with the filled balloons but the kids weren't getting very wet. The balloons weren't breaking until they hit the ground. 

So I got an idea that would have the balloons bust on the kids and soak them get. I got a blanket and spread it out on the ground. I had the kids get on it. I tossed the water bombs up in the air yelling "Bombs Away". 

The only problem was that the blanket was too thick and the balloons didn't bust. The kids thought it was great but they weren't getting wet. 

That's when we changed the game a 2nd time. I sat in a lawn chair and let them break the remaining water bombs over my head and on me. They  had a blast soaking Papa. 

All too soon, all the balloons were gone. All that was left in the gray container was water. 

I had one more watery trick up my sleeve but I had to convince Aria to volunteer for it. She was reluctant but eventually agreed. I picked up the gray container and poured the water over her head. 

The only thing left for the kids to do was run around in the doggy sprinkler. At least that was the only thing I could think to do. 
But kids are creative and soon they made their own new fun. They started trying to fill up the gray container by tilting it toward the sprinkler. But that only got the water to a certain level. Paula got them a couple of red Solo cups to use.  

With a determined effort, and the big sister serving as project director...

...they filled it to the top and Aria got in. 

She basked in her improvised pool for a while but then her brother wanted his turn. 

Eventually, it became necessary to get my grandson his own container to create his own private pool. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the two of them side by side in their private improvised gray and bright green "pools" . 

Soon, it was time for our front yard fun to come to an end. We all needed to dry off because their mom was coming to take them home. 

As kids usually do, our soggy pair protested the end of the water play. But we reminded them that this was just the first day of the summer; promising them even more front yard fun when they came back again. It's going to be a fun summer. 

Thank you for reading this two part blog post. Playing with my grandchildren on our front lawn got me thinking about our neighborhood water battles during those summers back "then"on Green Street. I just had to share the details and connection of both with you.  I hope my recollections brought back memories of some fun times from your "then" too. 

Have a good weekend. In my next post I will share with you my return to Nashville and an rather unique restaurant. 






  

Front Yard Fun...Then

Since this entry is being posted on Memorial Day, I would like take the time to honor some military veterans who are part of my family. 

I want to recognize the service of: 
My son, James Conner; my brother-in-law, Gene Havens; my cousin, Llewellyn Thomas; my 2nd cousin; Gary Stump Jr.;Mark Quigley and Amy Quigley (they are both part of my Christian Family) and last but not least, two no longer with us, my cousin, Roland Stump, and 2nd cousin, Roger Seguine. 

If you know or did know any of these men please take the time to show your appreciation for their contribution in allowing you to have the freedom you enjoy every day.  

Now on to what I want to share with you today. 

This week's posts are connected even though the events that serve as their individual focus happened 50 years apart. 

For "part 1" I'm taking you back to the days of my childhood. Hopefully the recollections and pictures I share with you will spark some happy memories of your own. 

For many in the US, each year, Memorial Day is the "unofficial" start of summer. 

When you are a kid the first two things summer means to you are: no school for 2 months and the getting to play in the water. 

The latter can happen on several different levels. You can do it a water park, at a public pool, a private pool of a friend or relative, or you can do it in your own yard. 

When I was a kid, the pool outside Brensinger School was where I spent a lot of hot days during my elementary school days. It's where I took swimming lessons given by the Red Cross. 

Until I was 10, I lived in a public housing project on Green Street, in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. It was a decent neighborhood made up mostly of lower to middle income families. 

A couple of years ago I went back to see how the old neighborhood was holding up. It still looked the same. Our 3 bedroom unit was the second one going left to right. 

I refer to it as a "neighborhood" but it really was a community. All the adults were friends with the other adults (or at least they knew each other well enough to engage in a decent conversation). 

On most summer evenings the grown-ups, including my parents,hung out together sitting in lounge chairs just out in front of "the unit" socializing.  

The kids, and there were plenty of them, gave everyone a circle of friends and playmates around their own age. Quite frequently on summer evenings, all of us from the oldest to the youngest would get together and play games together. Kickball was our favorite.   

During the first 9 summers of my childhood, when, for one reason or another, I couldn't go to Brensinger to swim, cooling off was limited to a playing in a small wading pool, tossing water balloons or getting squirted with a water hose along with the other "project kids."  
Our community "water park" was limited to the sector bordered how far the hose could reach. It was the grass in the upper left portion of the picture above. With no fences, of course, it was everybody's front yard. 

Although it didn't happen all the time, the most memorable cooling off days occurred when all the kids would show up for a "water battle

Rather than try and describe the sequence typical of one of these soaking situations, I have uploaded a two-minute segment of one of my family's home movies. I believe it's from the summer of 1969 or 70.

There are a lot of kids in this film. I'm not going to try and name every one of them. I don't even remember some of them. But rest assured they were all good friends and part of our neighborhood. I do want to identify a couple of them. 

The little girl in the black two piece bathing suit is my 4 year old sister, Shari. The teenage girl in the yellow and green one piece suit is my older sister, Peggy. 
Of course the skinny kid in the yellow trunks with black stripes down the side is 9 year old "Ronnie"...that's me. I'm wearing sunglasses in the beginning because of an eye issue I was having that summer. 

Throughout these 2 minutes there are multiple "battles" for control of the hose but it was all in good fun. 

I recommend that you expand the video to the full screen so you can enjoy it better. Remember it was shot with a Kodak movie camera on Super 8 film over nearly 50 years ago and transferred to a digital format. Hope you enjoy it. 

Although after five decades I may be seeing that video through an idyllic filter but I can't help but smile when I do. 

So there you have a sample of some of the front yard fun I had back then. As a kid, where did you play in the water? 

If the video or my recollections brings back to your mind some of the your favorite summer time moments I'd like to read about them. Just comment on the Facebook post I put up with the link to this blog post.  

Come back next time for part 2 of this post when I share with you how my childhood summer experiences helped me create some front yard fun "now". Thanks for reading see you next time. 

Karaoke Parody

Karaoke...You either like it or you hate it. There is no "fence sitting" when it comes to that technology based form entertainment that originated in Japan decades ago. 

My wife, is on the "uh..NO!" side of the activity. She likes to sing but, except for in church, not in front of strangers in public. As for me, I like I love it. I want some more of it. 

Since moving to the South, I'd not had much of an opportunity to sing in a "traditional" karaoke setting. 

I have used Karaoke tracks when performing my ventriloquist act and in church but not in a club or other public venue.

 About 2 years ago, a couple named Beverly & David Long started hosting Karaoke nights on Fridays at the Mexican restaurant a few blocks from my house. 

In the summertime they move their equipment out to the restaurant's outdoor patio for "Karaoke El Fresco."

Although I don't make it to there every Friday, I go whenever I can. I enjoy it. 

I have used this "stage" to take the opportunity to sing some of the parodies I've written over the years. 

A song parody is changing the lyrics of popular song but keeping the melody. You can find all kinds of examples on You Tube. 

I have written parodies to "Rockin Robin" by Bobby Day, "I Left My Heart In San Francisco by Tony Bennett and "Under The Sea" from Disney's Little Mermaid. 

But for this post I want to share with you my most recent parody. It's the reason I am wearing this metal.

Last Friday night Beverly and David held a karaoke parody contest at Cinco De Mayo (that's the name of the Mexican restaurant). It was open to anyone who came to sing that night. 
Beverly started announced that it was going to take place about a month ago so I had time to work on my entry. 

What I came up with is sung to the tune of "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town." It's the reason I am now the owner of the first place metal as the winner of the first ever Karaoke parody contest. 

I don't have a recording me actually singing at the competition but I've made a video. It's posted on my You Tube channel. It may not be the most professional video but it gets the song's message across. The link is below.  Hope you like it. 

Judy, Don't Drink & Shop Online Parody Video


I am proud of winning the contest. It gave me a reason to be creative. Not just by writing the words but performing it and making the video. It's also cool to be applauded and honored by the other singers. I want to thank everyone of them who voted for me.  

I will have more on karaoke nights and my friends, Beverly and David in a future post. 

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this post. If you have any comments or questions please post them on my Facebook page.   https://www.facebook.com/ron.havens.50


Please come back again on Friday for the next entry on the"Yankee Near Nashville" blog.    

  

AGT Comic Comes To Nashville

On May 8, for the 2nd time this month, I enjoyed an evening of entertainment in Nashville.  

My wife and I went on a mid-week date to Zanie's Comedy Club in South Nashville. 

Over the last 2 decades, I've gone to this club an average of two times a year. 
I've seen some of my favorite comics perform there. John Pinette, Jeff Allen, Rik Roberts, Taylor Mason, Jeff Dunham, Greg Warren, Ken Davis, Paul Aldrich, and Brad Stein to name a few. 

The comic we went to see this time we actually saw for the first time in the comfort of our home.
Back in the summer of 2017, he was the runner up on NBC's America's Got Talent, season 12. That's the year that the young ventriloquist, Darci Lynne, won the competition. 

Over the years Paula and I have seen
3 acts connected with AGT, in person. We saw season 2 winner, Terry Fator, and judge, Howie Mandel, at our local performing arts venue, SKYPAC.

We saw a third AGT contestant, The Russian Bar Trio, an acrobat act, perform at a local minor league baseball game. 

We would make our 4th IRL connection with an AGT alumni during the 2nd show at Zanies on May 8. 

This visit to the comedy club would be different in several ways. Never before had I been to a 2nd show. I liked going to the early shows. Also, the room was sold out. This meant the club, where the tables are very close together to begin with, would be very very congested. 
The third change would be the club's policy regarding cell phones. More on that later. 

The night started out on a good note.  as Although we got there just 10 minutes before the doors opened the one handicapped parking spot behind the club was unoccupied. 

The line to get in was already wrapped around 3 sides of the building to the back of the parking lot. All we had to do was step out of the car and we were in the queue. 

The doors opened at 8PM with the show scheduled to stat 30 minutes later. 

The third thing different about this visit involved cellphones. Patrons were required to set their ringers to vibrate and put them in one of these pouches. 

The pouch has a lock that once closed requires a special tool to open it. This is done a couple of reasons. One is short term and the other is long term. It keeps people from using their phones and disrupting the show. It also prevents recording of unauthorized audio and video that could be posted online. 

We knew about this new cellphone policy ahead of time. Paula decided to leave her phone locked up in our car. I brought mine in just in case we got the opportunity to get a picture taken with the headliner. 

Once inside the showroom, for only the 2nd time since we started coming to the club, we were seated at a table on the upper level; the first one at the top of the stairs. This was our view of the stage. 

We settled in and ordered our food and drinks. Even though it's just the usual unimaginative bar/lounge menu the food at Zanies isn't bad. The fries are rather tasty and the best thing I've ever had there. 

Now that I shared the details of getting to the show, let me tell you who we were there to see. 

 This guy was so funny on his initial appearance on AGT and most recently on AGT: The Champions shows, Paula and I both agreed we'd enjoy seeing him in person. 

Back in March when I saw that he was going to be in Nashville, we bought tickets.  

The only thing I was a little apprehensive about was that his "clean" act from AGT was not going to be the one we saw at a club. Although not surprising it would a bit of disappointment if his club act was "blue." 

At 8:30, as usual, the song "Soul Man" by the Blues Brothers, played loudly to  signifying that show was about to start; hushing the crowd. The club spokesman took the stage making announcements. He also requested that everyone lock their cellphone pouch. 

Usually, a Zanies show includes an emcee, a featured comic and a headliner. But not on this night. Only Preacher's younger brother, Justin, preceeded him on stage. He did about 15 minutes and was pretty good. 

Preacher was funny from the moment he stepped on stage. His starting point was talking about his history with and experience on AGT. He began by explaining how he lost a million dollar prize to a 12 year old girl. But he did it in a very humorous way. 

I am happy to say that he was the same clean likable guy on this stage as he was on TV. He kept us laughing for about 45 minutes. 

I think my wife enjoyed him more than I did. She laughed all the way through the night. This made me smile because she really needed a night out to "let go". 

My moment in the spotlight came at the end of the night. Just before Preacher set up for the post show meet & greet he asked the crowd if they had any questions. 
I took advantage of the opportunity to shout out from the balcony, "How did you get your nickname?"

He said that when he was just a few months old, a woman at church looked at him and told his mother that he was going to grow up to be a preacher. From then on, Jovan Lawson, became "Preacher." 

Like I mentioned there was a "meet & greet" afterward but being on the upper level I knew I'd be way back in the line to get meet him. Rather than wait 30 minutes or more we just decided to leave. 
A Zanies staff member unlocked my cellphone pouch on the way out. We walked to our car and our night out was over. But it was one we'll remember and talk about for a long time. 

If this famous comic comes to a venue any where near you I highly recommend make the effort to you go see him. It will be well worth it. Because when it comes to comedy, Preacher Lawson, delivers the "gospel of funny."

Have you ever been to a comedy club? Who did you see? Who's your favorite comic? What's was your best mid-week date night? Please post your answers along with any other comments or questions on my Facebook page. 

Thanks for coming by to read this post. I hope you enjoyed it. Come back on Monday and I will share with you yet another aspect of being a Yankee Near Nashville.