IT'S A BIG TIME OF YEAR IN BURNS, TENNESSEE

I don't know how many of you are fans of "The Andy Griffith Show," but do you remember an episode where Barney Fife was excited about something, and to describe it he said "It's big...really big." Well, that's how things are in my hometown of Burns, Tennessee this month. Possibly nobody is more excited than my father's wife, Marcia. She, like a lot of Burns residents, are counting down the days!

You see, Burns has always toiled in the shadow of the much larger communities of Dickson and White Bluff. Aside from a few gas stations, and one very popular restaurant called "Donna's," there's not really a lot of places to spend your money in Burns. But, it's all changing....fast!

People are buzzing in the town that I referred to for eighteen years on the air in Dickson as "The Big B." Quite possibly, it's the biggest buzz since Barbara Mandrell landed her helicopter on the Burns baseball field back in 1982 and went to Burns Sound Studio to record a duet with Bill Monroe. (Hey, I remember that...and it was exciting!)

Sometime, quite possibly by "Black Friday," a new era will have dawned----Dollar General Store will have swung its' doors open. OK.....I see some of you right now, shaking your head saying "You're excited about that?"......With fist pumped in the air....Heck, yes...I'm excited! You can take the Burns boy and put him in Centerville (a beautiful place), but you can't take the Burns out of the boy!

For the first time, if you need a screwdriver, you don't have to go to Dickson. Need a loaf of bread at a decent price? Why go to Wal-Mart? It's all right there, on Highway 96. Even though I do not live there anymore, I can tell you that Burns folks will appreciate Dollar General a lot. I know I do. There's something about being married with children that makes one go to Dollar General (or "DGS" in my check register) quite a bit, and they have improved a lot over the years. Trace Adkins even has been a spokesperson for them, and are you going to argue with him?

So....if you do hit the Dollar General Store this week, do it with me in mind. Somehow, I have a feeling I probably will be driving through Burns at some point myself...just to look!

Anyway, that's my take on the big week in Burns. To quote Fife, "it's going to be big....really big."....Now, if we can just bring on the Red Lobster!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!