When you can't beat them...

You join them and take their picture for all the planet to enjoy!

Friends, this is Nashville's version of "freak week". (To me freak week was always that week in August where all the Elvis crazies poured into my forever and always dear hometown (Memphis) and cried and wept and gnashed teeth over his passing. Now living in Nashville freak week is this particular week in June when all the country loving people pour into town and profess their love for each and every country singer. One in particular has left love notes for Rodney Atkins in chalk ALL over downtown.)

In a lot of ways CMAfest is actually pretty cool. For some certain $$ amount fans can spend hours in line every day and get autographs, pics, etc of pretty much each and every major (and minor) country artist. There's several stages around downtown with people performing all day and then at night the biggest of the big perform downtown at the football stadium. I can't think of any other festival/genre where you can get THAT much exposure to your idols. Tonight's concert has Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill, and my girl Ashton Shepherd (along with a lot of other people). Tomorrow my man Trace Adkins is on, along with Kenny Rogers and a bunch of other people.

I skipped the gym yesterday and spent my lunch hour walking around the free portions of the festival. It was freaking 90 degrees at lunch, and so insanely hot. I did score lots of free sunscreen packets and a fan.

Here's my pictorial narration of the (free) parts of what I've seen this week:

It's really, really hard to describe how long the lines are. They start outside the convention center and then wrap literally all the way around the city block. Here's just part of the line for people to get inside to wait in line for autographs. Keep in mind it was over 90 degrees!!
























Waiting in line for hours wouldn't be so bad if you were behind this guy, I bet he was entertaining!!












Near the Country Music Hall of Fame there's a little park they've turned into a kid area. There was inflatable stuff, coloring areas, game for kids to play and this SCARY Ronald McDonald blow up!!!













I also happened upon the Music City Walk of Fame. Brent and I have gone on runs specifically looking for it on the immediate block of the Hall of Fame, on Music Row, etc and never found it. Now I know it's the cut across sidewalk within this little park.










For our usual 3pm walk my coworker and I walked back down to soak up more sights and free sounds. AND, we ran into the Naked Cowboy, all the way from NYC! I wonder what he wears at the airport???












We also saw this guy, right outside the convention center with a line of people getting his autograph. Does anyone know who he is????













The total downside to this is the insane traffic jam caused by so many tourists. I will confess I have honked at many of them this week, and suggested they return to "fill in the blank state". My 3 mile commute took me 45 minutes yesterday afternoon thanks to this mess.









For a few blocks I was behind the "George Strait" truck who was tossing Tshirts out to people on 2nd.










Once he turned to do another lap of downtown I got stuck behind two horse policemen (this picture if after I got around them). The first sign I was about to approach horses was the insane quantity of poo in the roads. I was very thankful my windows were rolled up....










But the traffic was no better next to the football stadium for the music going on there...









Oh well, no biggie I guess. As someone whose income comes from retail, and retail is really all about people out spending money, and I'm sure some of these people will spend money at our area stores and thus help our stores and keep food on my table, pack 'em in! Pack 'em double wide!! I didn't hear the fireworks last night (days of roofers banging up above will WEAR YOU OUT) but it was cool to hear the fighter jets fly overhead as the concert started last night, and then we saw them tonight as we were heading out to dinner about the time it started. I will be avoiding downtown all weekend though!!!

The roof should be done on Tuesday. They have a few more things to do tomorrow, and then Tuesday is gutter day and a few other things that a different crew do. It's looking great and those guys have worked SO HARD. Tues 7 am to 5 pm, Wed 6:40 am to 8 pm and yesterday from 7 am to 7:30 pm!! I can't imagine, and they hardly take breaks at all.

Alrighty, have a great weekend everyone!!!