Howdy!

Hi y’all. I met a reader of this column who was surprised to hear me talking “Southern.” He apparently thought I was a Bridgton native, or at least a Yankee. Thankfully, he didn’t say what most people do after first hearing my accent: “So, you must be from South Bridgton.” Ok, it was funny the first time, but after years of hearing it… It amazes me that so many people can come up with the exact same line.

No, I’m not from Bridgton. I’m from Nashville. And unfortunately, even after living up here for 12 years, my drawl doesn’t seem to have faded. The next most common question after that is “Nashville, huh? So, can you sing?” If I did, don’t you think I’d still be there? Believe me, I understand the novelty of my accent, but oh, it gets old. Everyone regales me with tales of their visit to the Grand Old Opry, or how much they love Kenny Chesney, or how bad they want to see Graceland (that’s Memphis, by the way).

Nashville was a surreal place to grow up; Minnie Pearl once bought me a bag of candy corn at the 7-11. I went to high school with “Hank the 3rd” when he was still called Sheldon Williams and was one of the few punks I knew. Tammy Wynette used to pick her daughters up in the car pool lane in a huge white Cadillac. It seemed normal to me at the time, but I know that going to Twitty City at Christmas and riding a camel isn’t something every little girl gets to do. I cherish the memories and love my accent, but I also love living here in Maine. Cut me some slack, people!

Small town girl makes good

Speaking of Music City, I worked at TGI Friday’s in Nashville in the summers when I was home from college. It was just off the famous Music Row, and many aspiring country music singers worked there to pay the bills and hopefully wait on a famous producer or artist. As hideous as the red and white striped shirts were, the job was fun and pretty lucrative for a teenager.

One of my favorite co-workers was a quirky girl named Kathy Mattea. She was one of the many would-be singers working there, and she distinguished herself by always wearing a 45-rpm record pulled through her ponytail. She was adorable, and a truly great singer. I’ll bet Friday’s was the last waitressing job she ever had. She gave a demo to a songwriter, he loved it, and the rest is history.

She’s now a huge country singer with a slew of awards, including two Grammys. She’s coming up to the Stone Mountain Arts Center in Brownfield on Saturday, Oct. 27. A few tickets are still available as of press time. Contact www.stonemountainartscenter.com for information.

Small town boy makes real good

Mattea is also a dedicated supporter of The Climate Project, and recently became trained to present the “An Inconvenient Truth” slideshow. Like many people, she saw the documentary about climate change and was determined to do something to help. While Al Gore might not be the most charismatic guy out there, he is inarguably committed to his principles of educating people about the issues that face everyone on this planet.

Whether or not you believe the news about climate change, its becoming increasingly obvious that humans are causing serious damage to the Earth through air pollution and deforestation, and both the overharvesting of the oceans and our finite natural resources.

Our environment is becoming toxic, we have pesticide residue building up in our bloodstreams, and we’re leaving this mess to our children? I think that Al Gore and the Panel on Climate Change are doing the world a great favor by keeping these issues in the forefront. I am so proud of him for being awarded the Nobel Peace prize, and not just because we’re both from Nashville!

Yoga, anyone?

While I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a dedicated practitioner, I have been known to bust out the yoga mat every now and then on dreary winter days when I don’t feel like getting outside to exercise. Yoga is a great way to meld meditative breathwork with energetic movements. It not only helps maintain flexibility and core strength but increases blood flow and peace of mind. Its poses have been perfected through centuries of practice in the East and West. It offers a direct link to ancient wisdom about the body and mind connection. It’s also a fun way to meet new people while getting a great workout.

Ashtanga yoga is especially designed to help improve circulation, and its postures detoxify muscles and calm the mind. Instructor Lorraine Goldrup will be leading the Ashtanga Yoga Collective at the Bridgton Community Center on Depot Street at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 20. For more information, call 647-3116.

Narramissic News

The Bridgton Historical Society is compiling archival footage for a video about Bridgton’s Bicentennial in 1968 to use in the museum. If you were there and happened to shoot any video on your brand new Super 8, please contact 647-3699, e-mail info@bridgtonhistory.org or just stop the museum at Narramissic off Ingalls Road to check out what they’re up to.

Surprise!

After a month of planning, Terri Snow pulled off a huge surprise party for Tom and Tami Harriman, both of whom just celebrated “big” birthdays. When they walked into the Black Horse last Friday night and saw more than 50 of their friends and colleagues there to greet them, it was obvious that everyone in the know had kept it on the down low. They were both shocked, and everybody had a great time. And you thought small town people couldn’t keep a secret?