In the United States, every one of the 50 states has a nickname or ten (but really… Why does any state need 10 nicknames?). I live in a state that only has 5, which is still a bit much but whatever. They are as follows:
- Big Bend State (refers to the Tennessee River)
- Butternut State
- Hog and Hominy State
- The Mother of Southwestern Statesmen
- Volunteer State (currently used on license plates)
The most popular one is of course, The Volunteer State.
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Tennessee acquired the name during the War of 1812. At the request of President James Madison, Gen. Andrew Jackson, who later became President himself, mustered 1,500 from his home state to fight at the Battle of New Orleans.
(Side note: I sang a snippet of this song as a part of my elementary school’s chorus concert and have never forgotten it. It’s awesome and will get stuck in your head.)
The name became even more prominent in the Mexican War when Gov. Aaron V. Brown issued a call for 2,800 men to battle Santa Ana and some 30,000 Tennesseans volunteered. The term “Volunteer State,” as noted through these two events, recognizes the long-standing tradition of Tennesseans to go above and beyond the call of duty when their country calls.
So now that you’ve had your history lesson for today, in this same volunteer spirit I’ve felt a need to go “above and beyond” lately and donate some of my time to good causes and help the local community. (Don’t think I’m tooting my own horn… I just got tired of wasting my life away binge watching shows on Netflix)
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In the past few months, I’ve volunteered at Rhythm N’ Blooms, For Pet’s Sake Animal Rescue as a transporter (an entirely different post for another day), and just yesterday as a volunteer for WDVX during the Bob Dylan Birthday Bash.
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Everyone was out for this event including the Appalachian Hippy Poet Bill Alexander, Larry Crowell who is lovingly referred to as the ‘Beer Hat Guy’, and Knoxville’s own mayor, Madeline Rogero (who I spotted backstage hanging out with Steve Horton and drinking a beer which proves she is coolest mayor ever).
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As someone who has not been involved with anything WDVX has put on, I didn’t realize this concert is kind of a big deal. So much so, it has been going on for 10 years now, originally starting in 2005 when Steve Horton just wanted the chance to get back together with other fellow musicians and play some good tunes.
I was assigned to help out with artist hospitality “backstage” which basically just meant I had to make sure the bands had beverages, food, and whatever else they might need. I arrived in Market Square and checked in with Liz Lyons, the amazing Event Coordinator for WDVX. She immediately put me to work and introduced me to one of WDVX’s music directors, Katie Cauthen, who I would be working with the majority of the night. Thanks to these ladies and everyone else at WDVX, everything pretty much went off without a hitch in my eyes (we only ran out of beer once…).
It was awesome to be surrounded by some truly talented artists, many of whom I didn’t know before yesterday. Among them were singer/songwriter Maggie Longmire, Will Horton and friends, the local Celtic band Four Leaf Peat, the Will Boyd Group, Exit 65, Dixieghost, and a trio composed of Steve Horton, Hector Qirko, and Dana Paul. Between sets, some of the artists ogled over a few fancy (read: expensive) guitars while others practiced and studied Bob’s lyrics. All of the artists seemed to appreciate that Sweetwater Brewing Company was the sponsor (refer back to the comment about running out of beer).
It was also awesome to be surrounded by people who you could tell really have a passion for supporting the arts and local music community. I was able to meet several folks with WDVX and whether they were board members or hosted on air, everyone I talked to had been involved with the station for several years and offered up fun facts and tidbits about the public-supported radio that I had not been aware of before. The story behind WDVX is a good one and you should check it out if you don’t know.
I may not have known all the songs that the bands played as I’ve never claimed to be a huge fan of Dylan but all of the artists radiated cool vibes that the audience definitely picked up on. The weather was perfect albeit a bit humid, the bands were great, and everyone that I could see was having a great time. It was one of the best experiences volunteering I’ve ever had and I look forward to working with WDVX again. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with one of my favorite Bob Dylan songs.
Cheers,
Nena
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