Fan Club Party - 2001 |
Marty's mom arrived and came over to talk with us. She said she'd gone the wrong way down a one-way street and we assured her she could just play the "tourist" role and the police would understand. While parking spaces were ample, the cost was $10 since the awards show was being held directly across the street from the Hall of Fame.
The time was 7 p.m. and the doors were not open. Suddenly a black Cadillac comes by and Serena Wimmer had noticed Connie in the passenger seat. Our "host" and "hostess" were LATE. Former fan club president Judy Allston and her family had come down for the party and it was so great to talk with her again. She's a fan of this website and it's always nice to hear people say good things about the Fan Page.
Marty and Connie appeared and the crowd swarmed over to them. We'd found out that Marty and the Cowboys were not going to be performing a concert because the acoustics were so bad in the Conservatory. Marty walked on through the crowd to the area they had set up. Jodee spoke first and then introduced Marty.
Marty mentioned he's "got recording plans, I got all these songs ready, we'll sign a record deal and we'll be touring again, so don't even worry about it." That was wonderful new for the fans. Marty said they were doing 30 to 40 shows this year to get warmed up. He thanked everyone for coming and mentioned the breakfast for Loretta Johnson, the opening ceremonies of Fan Fair and the fact that he would be appearing at his booth twice to sign autographs.
The doors open and, lo and behold, there is Marty welcoming every person as they exited the elevator. That was enough to shake up a person. Marty was hugging, kissing and shaking hands. I thought that was just a wonderful thing for him to do. The total tour takes about three hours because there are a lot of interactive exhibits. I loved going into these cylinders where they had music playing. You couldn't hear the music from the outside. So many things on display, including one of Connie's dresses. Gosh, it looked awfully tiny. Musical instruments, stage costumes, handwritten lyrics--all in the display cases. The walls of the gold and platinum albums were so impressive. Certain plaques could be opened and you listened to music. You can actually have a CD made of certain songs and pick it up on your way out (it's not free, of course). A glass wall separates the exhibits from the archived area. Filing cabinets and shelves of documents covering the history of country music. There were several "listening" areas with seats. As we came by one, Dolly Parton was on film singing. The words to the song were at the bottom of the screen. Johnny Cash came on as we walked on by.
As you walk around the exhibit, there is a film of Marty talking about his collection. While there is supposed to be no photography inside the Hall of Fame, they were gracious enough to allow Mario to take pictures for this website. The photographs do not do this exhibit justice, but maybe you can see the guitars and costumes on display. Most of the jackets and outfits are Marty's--many that we've seen him wear through the years. Same with the boot collection. On the next page is a transcript of Marty's film about his exhibit and the photos Mario took of The Marty Stuart Collection. Please allow time for the pictures to load.
|
Return To Fan Fair Page | Return To Home Page |