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Check Out the New Opry House This Weekend

Posted by Ava-Lauren Moses on 10/01/2010
Keywords:
Grand-Ole-Opry
The Grand Ole Opry invites Music City to celebrate “Spirit of Nashville Day.” On this day, there will be free tours given of the new and improved Opry House, as well as free music in the Plaza beginning at noon, with a free, 6 p.m. performance by CMA-nominated group The Band Perry. There will also be special Opry shows showing gratitude to the people affected by the flood and the helping hands that catered to the wounded and stranded individuals of May’s flood. 
 
There will be lots to do that day, and fun for all ages. The schedule for Saturday, Oct. 2, includes:
 
Free Opry House Tours                                             10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Free music on the Opry Plaza                                    beginning at 12 noon

Performance by CMA nominee The Band Perry            6 p.m.

Opry performances                                                    7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
 
Opry House enhancements/refurbishments include:
  • The Opry House’s signature element, a six-foot circle of oak wood taken from the historic Ryman Auditorium when the show moved to the Opry House, was returned to its home centerstage last month after having been painstakingly refurbished.
  • 18 newly-themed dressing rooms, each one now themed to celebrate some of the people and styles of Country Music that have made the Opry an American icon.
  • “Friends & Neighbors”
-- showcases photos of some of the Opry’s fans from all walks of life who have visited the Opry, including Kevin Costner, Bob Hope, Anderson Cooper and even Lassie, among others.
  • "Into the Circle”
– showcases photos of some of Country Music’s top stars on the nights of their Opry debuts, as well as memorable quotes from many of them. The words of Josh Turner are shown: “I was fighting back the tears out there. I couldn’t think straight. I was tore up.”
  • “Mr. Roy”
– Dressing Room #1, occupied by Opry patriarch Roy Acuff during his years with the Opry, features photos of Acuff with a who’s who of friends. Acuff’s plaque reading “Ain’t Nothin’ Gonna Come Up Today That Me And The Lord Can’t Handle” still adorns the dressing room’s door.
  • A refurbished Green Room doubling as an Opry Family Room with photos of monumental moments in Opry history and a decorative chair rail representing the water line from the flood.
  • A new artist lobby, including a Grand Ole Opry Member Gallery, featuring placards with the names of all Opry members throughout the show’s 85-year history.
  • New programmable lighting, new concession stands and more enhancements in the main lobby.
  • A completely reconstructed Opry Shop, including “Country Comes Home” prints among thousands of other items.

"Spirit of Nashville Day” kicks off the Opry’s 85th Birthday Month.