Clower

  Our church's Singles group went on a mission's trip to Smyrna, TN in 1982.  Smyrna was just outside Nashville.  We had a free afternoon and evening, so we went into Nashville to look around.  One of the places we went to was Opryland.  I wasn't a huge fan of Country Music, and it played all through the park, but I started tapping my feet to some of it.  

 We went into the Grand Ole Opry auditorium there and saw two acts.  The first was Tom T. Hall.  He sang a few songs.  I wasn't familiar with them, but he was a star.  The second was Jerry Clower.  I had heard of him as a comedian, but I didn't know he was THAT funny!!

 He came on stage and told a couple of funny stories.  One was about a guy who had gotten up into a tree with a wild animal.  I just couldn't stop laughing.  Then, he told a story about a guy on a bicycle who wore suspenders that got stuck on the outside mirror of a car.  I was literally rolling on the floor laughing.  My sides were hurting.  Some comedians make you laugh by something they say.  Clower was so descriptive in his stories, that you could visualize what he was talking about.  He had the audience in the palm of his hand.  

 After the show, we went on the rides and let our hair hang down.  A little strange for a church group or not.  It was a great day!