Memories of 1973

Check out http://www.ambrosia-vintage.com/shoes/back-to-school/to see what Rebekah has posted.   Talk about flashbacks!   Those pictures come from a summer vacation to Nashville in 1973 where we cluelessly blundered right into the second annual Fan Fair (the first one held in June), an entertainment/autograph/exhibit fair hosted by the Country Music Association.  We had no idea that there was such an event, but once in Nashville we quickly took advantage of our situation.   Looking back, it was pretty amazing at the access the fans had to the country music stars of that time.  I can't remember who all we saw perform or how many autographs we got (wish I knew what happened to those autographs!), but it was pretty impressive.  Today, the annual event is known as the CMA Music Festival, and the experience is not quite the same as it used to be.   Of course, I was horrified at the time that someone would find out that I was watching country music performers!   My allegiance was totally to rock and roll.   "Satin Sheets" and "Harper Valley PTA"?   Horrors!   (Confession here: At the moment, I am listening to the Honky Tonk Tavern channel on satellite radio.  No lie.  I'm waiting for Jeanne Pruett's 1973 hit "Satin Sheets" to play any minute now.)

In 1973, Opryland was also in its second year, and it was the real reason for our trip to Nashville, although I think my parents snuck in a trip to the Parthenon too, for a little cultural lesson.  You might notice my Number 18, red and blue, Ole Miss jersey.  

If you read Rebekah's blog post all the way through, you saw her references to school days in good ole Itawamba.     She recalls the smell of Dial liquid soap at the old Fulton Grammar School, but she didn't mention the smell of oiled wood floors which seems to be what most people remember about the school.   Out of the six in our family, only me and my daughter, Alysson, didn't attend FGS.   We both moved to Fulton during our junior high years, and I regret that I cannot place myself among the thousands of students that passed through those old halls.