Country entertainer, Reggie Shaw and I were guests of Westwood last night at the Grand Ole Opry. What an amazing experience it was to be backstage with some of the true legends of country music. I have attended previous Opry performances, but had never been backstage. We were allowed to watch the show from church pews located on the Opry stage, directly behind the performers. Jim Ed Brown, The Randy Rogers Band, Dailey & Vincent, Jack Greene, Mark Wills, Bill Anderson, Little Jimmy Dickens, and Little Big Town were on the Tuesday night bill. I talked with Randy Rogers after their performance. It was the band's first appearance on the Opry. Randy said he was living out a dream by performing on the famous Opry stage. It was surreal to walk the backstage hallways, and to be greeted by the likes of Little Jimmy Dickens, and Jack Greene.

One of the more unpredictable moments came in the Opry's family room. I sat down to talk with the two other people that were in the room. We started with the usual ice breaker, “where are you from?”. A young lady named Melissa replied that she was originally from a small town in Nebraska that I probably hadn't heard of. I laughed and said “try me”. It turned out that Melissa Jones was originally from Bertrand! She is the grand daughter of Betty Maaske. It funny who you'll run into backstage at the Grand Ole Opry.