THINGS ABOUT THE "OLD" SOUTH I MISS!

For some reason, I am feeling very nostalgic as of late. Maybe it's the fact that the Fall is here, and there are so many things that I look forward to about the season, but the other day I got to thinking about how much life has changed over the past 25-30 years or so. I recognize that might not seem like too long of a period of time to you, but I have been thinking about things that are no longer....that used to be part of what I call The "Old" South....Whether you consider many of these things "old" or not, they just might make you smile.....

1. HIGHWAY SIGNAGE-----I miss the old signs for businesses that you would see on the highways. Whether it be Quality Inn, Holiday Inn, or the old McDonalds signs....there was something majestic about many of them....One of my favorite grocery store chains growing up was Sunflower, which at the front of the store outside, had a giant...you guessed it...Sunflower. Stores might be more fancy these days, but I don't know if the charm is as alive and well as it once was.



2. HEE HAW ON SATURDAY AFTERNOONS-----Yes, I know that reruns of the popular show air each week on RFD-TV, but there was something about 5:30 on Saturday afternoons on Channel 5, where the TV show was filmed. From Buck's Red, White, and Blue Guitar, Buford the Wonder Dog, and Nurse Goodbody...There was something for everyone....



3. 100 OAKS MALL-----I will forever have an emotional connection to the intersection of Thompson Lane and Powell Avenue. Opry Mills might be flashier, and Rivergate and Cool Springs might have outlasted it, but to a small child, the brown and white floors of the mall will always have a special memory. Saturday mornings usually meant a trip there with my mother and grandmother to JCPenney, Woolworth, and my personal favorite, Woolco. Though people have tried to bring it back as a retail outlet several times since its' heyday, and Vanderbilt Hospital now uses much of it for office space, maybe it's best stuck in time.....but what a time it was.



4. WACKY WEATHERMEN-----Nashville television had such a fun flavor in the 1970s. From the classic suits worn by WSM's CHARLIE MACALEXANDER to the ultra-professional style of Bob Bell and the late Paul Eels, the sports coverage was first-rate. But, who can forget the "Weather Wizard," Tom Siler, or George Goldtrap, who would close his Channel 4 weather with by throwing a piece of chalk into his pocket. I wonder if Lisa Spencer could do that?

5. NEWS ANCHORS SUPREME----Here in Nashville, I guess if it came down to it....you were either a Dan Miller guy or a Chris Clark guy. I always liked them both, and Nashville has never, and will ever, see news anchors that good at what they did again.

6. RECORD SHOPS-----As a child who spent his allowance (and then some) on music.....I remember back to such places as Port O'Call Records, Record Bar, and Camelot Music with a bit of fondness. I also remember when Sears sold music, as well. Tower Records on West End also holds a special place for me...Record stores aren't as plentiful as they once were, but as long as Ernest Tubb Record Shop remains open...all things are well...except my bank account!

7. FOUNTAIN SQUARE-----Sometimes, you're just wrong. I thought this outdoor shopping center would be one of the biggest things to come out of Nashville since Dolly, but it just never took off. I always thought the strip outlet, located near Metro Center, was a neat place...but few others did.

8. THE HUNGRY FISHERMAN---Located on the Cumberland, just adjacent to Metro Center, this was one of my all-time favorite restaurants growing up....You could even feed the fish!

9. SEARS ON LAFAYETTE-----Again, it might be sentimental, but while I came in on the tail end of this store's run in Nashville. I remember the smell of nuts being made in the snack shop, and Charles and Paulette Dauphin bought plenty of Winnie The Pooh stuff for their kid here.

10. JACK FAVIER----Cooks on TV are nothing new, but this chef, who honed his trade at Silver Wings, was a popular fixture on Channel 4 growing up. While he didn't look like Rachael Ray, he was always fun to watch. I never ate at Silver Wings, but can only imagine it was a great experience!

11. THE "OUTHOUSE RACE" ON RALPH EMERY-----5:30 was early in Middle Tennessee, but THE RALPH EMERY MORNING SHOW on WSM-TV was the best way to find out what was on sale at DT McCall & Sons, or if schools were closed. The highlight of this program was the annual outhouse races which featured many of the show's personalites.....I would love to see Steve Hayslip or Holly Thompson in one of these....!

12. TNN----Granted, it was the 1980s, but this cable network meant so much to me growing up. Whether it was interviews with the stars, or Bill Anderson standing in front of the talking jukebox named Edgar on FANDANGO, this was a cool time for any fan of Country Music.

13. DENNY'S-----It's a personal taste thing, but it was good to know that regardless of what time or day you were in Nashville, this chain was, as their sign said, "Always Open." Come back to Nashville, please!

14. SHONEY'S BIG BOY----Ok, I know it still exists.....but I miss the "Big Boy," who stood outside each location proclaiming his burger as the best....I still have one of the famous banks to this day....Well, I bought it at an antique shop...but it's mine!...Hey, and my parents met at the one that used to be on Thompson Lane....so if it weren't for the Big Boy, I might not be a "Big Boy" today!

15. BREAKFAST WITH SANTA AT CAIN SLOAN---One of my fondest Christmas memories growing up was the annual "Christmas With Santa Breakfast" at the Cain-Sloan Department Store....Though they don't exist anymore, it was a fun holiday memory. To give equal time, I also miss the old Harvey's Store and the horse that was perched outside of it.

16. ROSES' DEPARTMENT STORES----Department stores, before Wal-Mart took over, had a personality all their own. Such was the case with this shopping chain. I remember there were locations in Columbia and Clarksville, and they used to be neat stores. You can still find them, especially if you're in Eastern Kentucky or Virginia, and they are worth looking for. In Tennessee, there are still two...one in Murfreesboro, though the one in McMinnville is a little bit newer....It's a trip back in time, and a neat one, at that!

17. MINNIE PEARL-----For obvious reasons, Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon was one of the Mid-state's more defining people. As "Minnie Pearl," she was a Country Music icon who was defined Country Comedy, and as Sarah Cannon, she was one of the area's leading humanitarians, who donated her time to many worthy causes, and as a next-door neighbor to the Governor, she was truly one of a kind.

18. THE 24-HOUR KROGERS----- I know that in this day of 24-hour everything, we have grown a little spoiled, but there was something reassuring growing up in Dickson that whether it was 12 noon or midnight, you could find what you were looking for at Krogers. With the overwhelming prices and popularity (and I shop there once a week, at the very least) of Wal-Mart.....Krogers has cut back on their hours. I understand them doing that, but it was cool back in the day to know that Kroger was always open....night and day!

19. THE "SCENE AT SIX" THEME SONG------I touched on the various anchors that have been invited into people's living rooms for years in Middle Tennessee, but almost as important as Dan, Demetria, Rudy, and Bill Hall was the classic music that kicked off and ended the "Scene At Six." With all the great songs that have been recorded here over the course of time, I don't know if any song is more familiar to local citizens that soothing sound that made you aware that all was well in Nashville.

20. TAMMY THE TELLER-----Long before Dolly, Barbara,or any of the other beautiful women that have been a part of Nashville, I was fascinated with Tammy The Teller, the animated Queen of Banking in Nashville. A marketing ploy of Third National Bank when they started their ATM Machines, the blonde made quite a few people change banks. Something I didn't know until I started researching this article was the voice for TammY???? None other than future CMA Female Vocalist Of The Year winner Janie Fricke.

Fortunately, there are still lots of things here that are traditions.....Ernest Tubb Record Shop,Loveless Cafe, Krispy Kreme, Snow Bird, and one tradition that I have never eaten at that I want to before I die-----the infamous "Spinning Top" restaurant that is now the Sheraton in Nashville, formerly the Hyatt Regency....Hopefully, I've made you think a little bit about some of the things you treasure the most about growing up in Nashville.....Let me know if I've missed anything.....