Mike, Sarah and Michael Hardy have returned from Nashville after enrolling Madison, Philadelphia's sweetheart and promising new star, "in the next step of her dream" at Belmont where she will study music business. While in Nashville, they visited Philadelphian Marty Stuart's Sparkle and Twang exhibit at the Tennessee State Museum in downtown Nashville. "It is something every Neshoba Countian should see," Mike told me. "It exemplifies the influence Marty's childhood in Mississippi had on his career." Sarah continued, "Marty's pride in his hometown has put Philadelphia on the map in Nashville. Even the security guard was impressed when we told him we were from Philadelphia."

Sarah told me that the paper Marty wrote when in about the sixth grade about what he wanted to do with his life was included in the exhibit. "I want to play a lot of instruments, sing, write songs, entertain people and tour the world on a bus," he wrote. "He's done it all," Sarah concluded, "and the way he has depicted his life's story and the history of country music in this exhibit is unbelievable!"

Note of interest: The exhibit will remain in the Museum through November. Butch Hodgins visited with Marty and Connie last Saturday where they performed at the Muscadine Festival. "I had a ball!" Butch told me. "Marty told me that the opening attendance of his exhibit was the largest ever recorded at the Museum, and it's still going strong!" Aren't we proud of him!

By Rachel Evans