I learned early last week that in honor of our new governor's inauguration most Nashville museums would be offering fee admission on Saturday. My first thought was "Man! We just spent 30 bucks to go to the Frist!" My second thought was "Too bad it's too cold to go to Cheekwood!" and my third thought was "Hey wait! I've never been to the Country Music Hall of Fame!"
So I suggested a little family adventure. We could take in the historical ceremony in the morning, watch the inaugural parade, grab some lunch and go to the Hall of Fame. Perfect. We could soak in a little history, a little culture, a little hometown pride and the only thing we'd pay for was parking and a Subway sandwich.
Of course, what I didn't know at the time of my ingenious planning was that sleepover invitations trump historical experiences. Every. Time.
The Ocho received an invitation late in the week that would mean leaving downtown around 2:00 which, in turn, would mean no free Hall of Fame visit for me. Oh well. There was still history and culture to be had.
We arrived at Legislative Plaza around 10:00. It was brisk but not unbearable and since it was my first time actually walking around in front of the capital I wanted to do a little sightseeing. Handiman took us up the stairs of the War Memorial building and showed us the walls that hold the names of all the Tennesseans who have given their lives during war. Pretty remarkable.
Soon the crowds started forming and we decided our best bet would be to stay on the steps to give The Ocho a fighting chance at seeing anything. Of course, after they were delayed almost 30 minutes in getting started she didn't really care if she saw anything or not. She just wanted lunch.
The ceremony was pretty cool. There was lots of pomp and circumstance and gavel pounding and speech making. It's hard not to feel pride in your county when listening to thousands of people recite the Pledge of Allegiance together, watching our military present the colors, hearing cannons being shot and watching a 4-aircraft military fly-over. And you just can't beat listening to a military band. The Oak Ridge boys sang the National Anthem and there were prayers by both a Jewish Rabbi from Nashville and a Baptist preacher from Memphis. We truly appreciated our out-going governor only taking about 10 minutes to deliver his remarks. And even though our new governor took a little longer, his speech was moving and heartfelt. And I like his sense of humor.
One thing that struck me was the lack of visible security. I expected in the light of recent events that we might have to face metal detectors and searches. But there was nothing. We did spot some sharp-shooters on top the buildings surrounding us and there were police officers and state troopers everywhere but still, all the officials on stage seemed way more accessible than I would have imagined. In fact, during the parade Governor Haslam and his family left their spot to walk over to the curb and hug some friends standing right next to us. It was kind of funny to watch security scramble while the Haslam family seemed oblivious to it. I even snapped a picture as they were walking up.
Speaking of the parade, that was The Ocho's favorite part. And not just because of all the different bands from high schools and colleges all over the state (her favorite was the TSU Aristocrats of Bands). She didn't even care about Pnash the Predators mascot who drove over to her and tried to shake her hand. Nope. Her favorite parts were The Mayfield Cow and the Nashville Fire Department who threw candy to the kids and handed out packs of Silly Bandz. Cause you can NEVER have too many of those.
Handiman's favorite part was the grand finale. He lit up like a kid at Christmas when he heard the sounds of "Rocky Top" coming around the corner.
So after officially taking part in a little piece of Tennessee history we grabbed our Subway sandwiches and headed out. We were honored to share the day with our new friends Bill & Crissy and we wish them the best of luck in their new endeavors. Maybe we can hang out again sometime.
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