Dierks Proclaimed Honorary Mayor
12/10/2007 One day after being nominated for four Grammy Awards, country music artist Dierks Bentley received another honor. On Friday (12/8), at a press conference just prior to Dierks’ concert at the Glens Falls (NY) Civic Center, Glens Falls mayor Roy Akins proclaimed Dierks “honorary mayor” for the day. The Post-Star reports Dierks listened attentively as Mayor Akins read a lengthy proclamation listing various milestones in the singer’s life and career. At one point, Dierks interrupted the mayor and quipped, “My life's story played out before me. ...Is this a proclamation or a funeral?" Other musicians who’ve received the honor, often given at the time they played the Glens Falls Civic Center, include Amy Grant and Willie Nelson. Of the proclamation, Dierks told the mayor, “Believe me, I'll be pulling this out on stage tonight and using this in some way with the show. This is an amazing thing.” Dierks jokingly offered to switch places with Akins at the city's holiday tree lighting later on Friday evening if the mayor would stand in for him at a pre-concert reception. “I'll tell you what,” Dierks said, “I'll go plug the tree in and you can do the 100 person meet-and-greet I've got lined up for tonight.” The mayor chose to stick with the tree lighting. Dierks says he once was named an honorary colonel in Kentucky, but had never been an honorary mayor.
