Celebrating a friend's book--Opryland USA

Tonight I got to attend the book talk and signing for Opryland USA (Images of Modern America) by my friend Stephen W. Phillips at Parnassus Books.  The book is pictured at left with an Opryland poster in the background.

It's really wonderful when people take the various materials of their interests and pull them together in a project like this.  Stephen's discussion was that of an expert, of course.  And it was also fascinating to hear from many former Opryland USA employees in the audience.

Years later they could recite the most minute details of the park, but never lost to them was its significance to the Nashville economy.  That is something that I'm afraid as the years go by is becoming lost to the rest of us.

How many people from how far away came to Nashville because of Opryland USA?  In the 70s my parents drove two hours so we could go for a fun day.  I loved looking at the pictures they took months after our trip.

It was a vital part of our city and it's still a vital part of many people's story.  Thank you, Stephen, for reassembling the pieces for us.

You can find the book at your local bookstore or online at this link.