Opry underwater in Nashville

The Grand Ole Opry has announced that shows this week have been moved to other venues due to the dramatic and tragic flooding in and around Nashville.

Opry officials are only speaking about the short term just now, but photos and video from the Opry House suggest that it will be quite some time before shows can be held there again. Complete damage and structural stability assessments can’t be completed until the water recedes, and at this point it is still rising.

“While we ourselves are shaken by the impact of the flooding of the Opry House and throughout the area, it is important that Nashville’s most treasured tradition continues with this week’s shows,” said Grand Ole Opry Vice President Pete Fisher. “We look forward to coming together both as the Opry family and as a great American city just as we have every week for nearly 85 years. Our hearts go out to all of those affected in the Middle Tennessee area.”

The Opry Call Center is temporarily out of service, and other operations on the Opry Entertainment Complex including Opry backstage tours and the Grand Ole Opry Museum, have been temporarily suspended. It is too early to determine how long Opry operations will be impacted at this time.

You can follow the news from Nashville on the web site of The Tennessean, which has extensive coverage of the flooding online.

We repeat our request from yesterday that anyone who is able please make a donation to the Nashville Red Cross, who are dealing with the immediate aftermath of this disaster.

There are benefit shows and events being planned now to assist Nashville residents – which include many, many bluegrass and acoustic artists and businesspeople – as the rebuilding begins in the near future. We will update as details emerge.

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About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2006 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.