chicago native Archives - Saving Time & Money l SamiCone.com

November 22, 2009 By sami

You all know by now that this Chicago native with a Jewish father and British mother knew very little about the South and its glorious ways until I met my husband: Grits, the Grand Ole Opry and yes, even the Gaither Vocal Band alluded me.

I know – I hear the gasp of shock from all of you who live below the Mason Dixon line. The first time he showed me a Homecoming on tv, I asked, “Why are they all sitting on the stage?” When my husband finished laughing, I followed it with, “…and how do they know the words to all those songs?” …he still hasn’t let me live it down.

While I still don’t know all the songs and harmonies of this amazing group, I’ve come to love and appreciate their great talent and faith. I especially connected with Bill Gaither recently when he appeared on Talk of the Town after me and referenced the School Board from The Music Man as the start of the great four-part male harmonies (The Music Man was one of the first musicals I ever saw and to this day continues to be one of me and my family’s favorites!).

The good news for you all is that they are coming to Nashville for a Gaither Homecoming Christmas Tour on December 4th at the Sommet Center and I’m giving away a 4-pack of tickets! Not only will they be singing many Christmas classics, but they’ll also be singing many of your favorite Gaither songs. Here is how you can enter:

1. Leave a comment below with your favorite GVB song (or even if you’ve never heard them before, let us know why you’d be excited to see them.)

2. Copy the link to this post and share it on Facebook telling others about the concert and the contest, then leave an additional comment below telling me you’ve posted it on Facebook.

3. Copy the link to this post and share it on Twitter telling others about the concert and the contest, then leave an additional comment below telling me you’ve posted it on Twitter.

4. Copy the link to this post and share it on your blog/website telling others about the concert and the contest, then leave an additional comment below telling me you’ve posted it on your blog/website.

For more information or to buy tickets, click HERE. Good luck! You have until midnight, Monday, November 23rd to enter.

I stand corrected…can you tell I'm not a native southerner?

October 28, 2009 By sami

moz screenshot 12 I stand corrected...can you tell I'm not a native southerner?

JuneJohnnyThumb I stand corrected...can you tell I'm not a native southerner?
As my dad always says, “Once I thought I was wrong…but I was mistaken.”

Well, in this case, I was actually wrong. I know! So hard to believe, isn’t it? Yes, this Chicago native who has recently transplanted to Nashville this year has now been wrong about the Grand Ole Opry twice in one week!

In my post on Jim Gaffifan, I mentioned the near disaster that occurred when I told my husband to drive to the Opry and he went to the current home of the Grand Ole Opry, not the Ryman Auditorium, which I thought was the original home of the Opry. Turns out neither of us were right!

Thanks to Lisaann from the Ryman Auditorium, I now know that the Ryman was in fact the fifth home of the Grand Ole Opry (from June 5, 1943 – March 15, 1974). The building was originally called the Union Gospel Tabernacle. Upon Mr. Ryman’s death it was renamed the Ryman Auditorium. The inaugural event of the restored Ryman was “A Prairie Home Companion” with Garrison Keillor.

If you haven’t visited or toured the Ryman, now is a great time to do so. They are currently featuring “Johnny & June at the Ryman”, a new museum exhibit about Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash who met at the Ryman and played many shows there (It is part of the regular daytime tour).

You may also want to consider taking your family to the Skaggs Family Christmas show on Dec. 22^nd. Tickets are available at the Ryman Auditorium box office or through Ticketmaster. And now back to our regularly scheduled blog…

A Gaither Giveaway

I stand corrected…can you tell I'm not a native southerner?

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