Plans are under way for Marty Stuart Day in Philadelphia on July 9, 2009. The day will begin at 10 a.m. Thursday morning with the unveiling of the permanent sign which is being erected at the intersection of Highway 19 north and Marty Stuart Drive in the Arlington community. The sign was designed by Philadelphia's Kyle Stribling and is a cohesion of materials, form, color and symbolism which represent Marty's journey from Neshoba County to Nashville. Moving into town, the formal opening of the Marty Stuart Room at our local museum will take place at noon. From there, Marty and Connie will join their guests for lunch at the Depot, where the meal will be hosted by Peggy's. That night, beginning at 7 p.m., Connie Smith and Marty Stuart will take the stage at the Choctaw Indian Fair. It was at the Choctaw Indian Fair when he was 12 years old that, after watching Connie Smith perform, Marty told his mother, "I'm going to marry her someday!" That dream, like many of Marty's, have come true, and he has come home to share with us. He never misses an opportunity to brag about his Neshoba County upbringing; Marty Stuart Day July 9, 2009, is our chance to let him know how proud we are of him!

By Rachel Evans