Nashville Flood of 2010 Brings Out Best

Words of the Day

“Good Lord willing and the creek don’t rise.” – Hank Williams refrain

The Show Goes On

The show goes on in Music City.

Despite the worst rain – and flood of the century – that immersed much of Nashville in water, the music continues to play louder than ever.  The resilient city came together as never before in the wake of one of the worst disasters in history, rescuing victims in many parts of the city – west, east, south and north and all points in between.  From Bellevue to Antioch to Donelson, home of the sprawling Gaylord Opryland complex and Opry Mills mall, to the downtown honky-tonks, hot spots and sports venues, the people of Nashville came together like no other time that WordSmith can remember. There is an incredible sense of community here– and it rose faster than any floodwater ever could!

Pictures will forever be etched into the mind. 

Houses floating down I-24. Entire subdivisions swallowed by the Harpeth and Cumberland Rivers, creeks and tributaries.  The Grand Ole Opry, the crown jewel of Music City, an island in a sea of brown, swirling water.  The Gaylord Opryland Resort’s Delta, Cascades and Conservatory gardens submerged.  The evacuation of more than 1,500 guests to a nearby high school gym.  LP Field, the home of the Tennessee Titans, looking like a giant-sized swimming pool.  Bridgestone Arena, where the Nashville Predators hockey team plays, covered in water – not the frozen kind.  The Country Music Hall of Fame’s Ford Theater awash.  And the Schermerhorn Symphony Hall’s basement flooded, wrecking a multi-million dollar pipe organ and two concert pianos.

Heroic Images

Images of the heroic, the non-famous residents, who became the true stars of a weekend where the once-in-a-lifetime perfect storm was the stage.  Neighborhood heroes in boats plucking people off roofs.  Throwing lifelines to stranded truckers in their watery rigs.  Housing the new and longtime homeless.  Sheltering, clothing and feeding the needy.  City, state and national officials, churches and residents joining as family and offering a helping hand – and lifting a city up.  Doing all they can to hold together the waterlogged fabric of Nashville’s rich tradition.

Water, water, everywhere

The brown, ever-flowing water left its mark everywhere.

Water on the wooden circle scuffed by Hank’s own boots – the legendary six-foot circle taken from the Old Ryman Auditorium and installed in the current Opry House in 1974.  The floor was covered – save for the last four rows in the back.  The stage was submerged. The famous red-orange carpet reduced to a soggy mess.  But the music continued.

Circle Is Unbroken

The famous song is a metaphor for all the things that continue despite the wrath of Mother Nature.  The Tuesday night Opry performance – the longest running live music broadcast in history, continued albeit in a different place – at the downtown War Memorial Auditorium.  And yes Marty Stuart, Restless Heart, Jeannie Seely and a mesmerized audience closed the show with a rousing rendition of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”

It was the first time in more than 60 years in that building – and first time since 1975 that the venerable, world-famous show took place anywhere other than the Opry House or Ryman Auditorium. But, you see, as Opry VP and GM Pete Fisher said, it’s a show, not a building.  So the heart of country music has just been temporarily transplanted, and it continues to beat stronger and wiser than ever.  For the foreseeable future, the Opry shows will move between several venues, including the Ryman downtown, which wasn’t damaged by the flood.

So the show goes on.  The beat echoes in the soul.  The music continues to march down the Lost Highway.  And, the city is poised for a dramatic encore.  The best is yet to come. 

And the welcome mat has again been unfurled for the masses who trek to country music’s mecca.  The show will go on … and the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau is again touting the city’s tourism, and that Music City is indeed “Open for Business.”

For making the most of a disaster.  For giving voice to a city seemingly silenced by rushing water.  For singing through the rain – and pain – WordSmith humbly bestows the Golden Mic to the entire Nashville area for weathering storm and flood and reaching for a brighter future.

Golden Mic

Each week, Wordsmith will bestow a Golden Mic Award to the person, group or company in the court of public opinion that best exemplifies the tenets of solid PR, marketing and advertising – and those who don’t.  Stay tuned … and step-up to the mic!

The WordSmith News Bureau is based at Deane Smith Media Innovations, a full-service PR, marketing and advertising agency.  Got PR?  Need marketing strategy? Ad consulting?  Message Wordsmithing?  Creative & online initiatives? Reach the WordSmith at wordsmith@deanesmithmedia.com