After last week’s tutorial on the Ryman Auditorium, I just can’t help myself dedicating this week to the Grand Ole Opry. The two entities go hand-in-hand and their legacy is so intertwined it is nearly impossible to talk about one without the other.  more

After last week’s story on Jerry Lee Lewis, it seemed like I could not shake the feeling that I needed to do more about music. What was there to talk about that folks would find interesting enough to read? Plus I needed to do my best to keep it somewhat local. more

My Mother didn’t like Jerry Lee Lewis. more

I have been a music nut for most of my life. This may come as a shocker to some, but I have never cared much for modern music. It has always been classic country or classic rock. I don’t know if that makes me an old soul or just an oddity, but it wasn’t easy to be a teenager listening to George Jones and Merle Haggard while your friends were into Metallica or Pearl Jam.  more

Dear Editor, Jon Petryshyn, USMC gave out misinformation in his letter to the editor comment. more

Dear Editor, McKenzie has been my hometown for 94 years and I love it. more

I went to New York City. more

McKENZIE — There is immense vocal, instrumental and performing talent on Lee Street and Bethel Court. That’s where students at Bethel University’s Renaissance rehearse.  more

I know this title sounds like something from a Kubrick movie but it serves a purpose. Have you ever noticed how things come full circle? Since the start of these articles a few years back, I get phone calls or do additional research that brings the series full circle as so many parts intertwine with each other.  more

There was a time in my life when I wanted to be a white supremacist. Daddy whipped that idea right out of me forever in less than ten seconds when I was seven years old. Now, you know my Dad, he accomplished the mission in ten seconds….but he whipped me until Mom rang the dinner bell just so I’d know he was serious. more

Dear Editor; I have been a part of McKenzie’s community since 2006. I am a 2007 Bethel University graduate. I have served as an appointee to the McKenzie City Council for 1.5 years and have enjoyed being a part of a great group of individuals that seek to improve McKenzie every day. more

Dear Editor, I am writing this as a letter of support for stable, experienced, accomplished leadership at McKenzie City Hall. more

For those inquisitive minds who have wondered why I wasn’t visible around McKenzie last week, well I finally got to take a vacation. On our drive to the gulf coast, my mind wasn’t necessarily focused on the beach, restaurants, or what shenanigans the kids were going to pull. With each mile and small town, I thought about the poverty in the Mississippi Delta, stories of sharecroppers, and how once-thriving townships were nothing more than tiny specks on a map. more

On September 12, I was told by the Veterans Administration Community Care to go to Urgent Care Walk-In Clinic for treatment of my elbow after injury in a fall.  Upon arrival, I was told by the receptionist they would not accept my Veterans Administration Insurance.  I ultimately ended up going to Baptist Memorial Hospital Emergency Room for diagnosis and treatment. more

 I never dated a homecoming queen. And I have wondered over the years why. Then, just yesterday, in a moment of complete honesty, it hit me like a thunderbolt out of the past: homecoming queens are always very pretty! more

I figure by now most of our readers know that I have some of the most random recollects of history. more

No attempt at humor today. more

I was running past the courthouse a couple of days ago with the early Saturday morning sun bouncing off my face. After a long hot summer, the air finally held a hint of that marvelously crisp “first touch” of fall. It was wonderful, but still a fairly routine Saturday morning in this stage of my life...until my mind got to moving faster than my legs. more

Hello Banner Friends, My husband, Jack Hall, and I have just returned home to The Villages, Florida, on Sunday after spending a wonderful two and a half days in our former hometown. more

In the September 13 issue of The McKenzie Banner, more