My Forest Festival Memories

When i was just a child, the Forest Festival was just a homecoming with the carnival, exhibits and the coronation. When I was a teenager, I liked the tilt-a-whirl and I especially loved the bumper cars. As i got older, I loved to ride the ferris wheel and really enjoyed the Grand Ole Opry shows. My first country show I went to was Johnny Russell and Billy "crash" craddock, i also saw stars like conway twitty, helen cornelius, jim ed brown, Sylvia, who i fell in love with in 1981. i also saw stars like the oak ridge boys, emerson Drive, Exile, Chely Wright, Kenny Chesney, Martina McBride. I also like Tanya Tucker and Lee Greenwood who gave me a cap when I gave him a Forest Festival cap and an American flag for his song "God Bless The U.S.A."

I started giving a gift to Maid Silvia when Cindy Walsh was made Queen Silvia at the 51st festival, and I have been giving a gift to Maid Silvia every year since. I give them a little necklace to them at Davis Trust Company.

I was named "Mr. Forest Festival" for getting the festival national publicity when I saw TNN's Nashville Now with Ralph Emery, and GAC's Country Request Live with Suzanne Alexander.