Maynardville is now home to The Union County Opry. Known as the Cradle of County Music, Union County is noted for its musical heritage; four of its sons are now known throughout the world–Roy Acuff, Chet Atkins, Carl Smith, and Kenny Chesney. Lois Johnson, Hilda Kitts Harrill, and Melba Kitts Greene are among its best known women entertainers (https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/union-county/).

According to Commissioner Sidney Jessee, until now there has been no venue in the county to honor and celebrate its rich musical heritage. Commissioners Sidney Jessee, Danny Cooke and Debra Keck are the architects behind the formation of the Opry, established as a Tennessee Not-For-Profit organization. The organization’s mission statement is to create an entertainment venue to promote tourism, showcase local talent and honor the music heritage of Union County. The Union County Opry will provide scholarships to graduating seniors pursuing a degree and career in music and the organization will pursue a long-term goal of providing the county with a dedicated event center to host music and other events.

According to Commissioner Danny Cooke, the Union County Opry is a people project, not a county or city government project. Mr. Jim Woods noted that there are likely more pickers per capita in Union County than any place in the world and to not have a place to display that talent is pretty sad. Jim said everyone in Union County had a piece of the puzzle necessary to make The Union County Opry a success and that they should be ready to place their piece in place when the time comes.

Commissioner Cooke noted that almost 20 musicians from Union County have cut music nationally and the first Opry on 20 April 2019 will be a tribute to this heritage. The schedule and performers along with tickets to purchase are available at http://www.unioncountyopry.com/tickets.html. You can stay current on Opry happenings at the Union County Opry Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/unioncountyopry/).

Dave Jones, the Tennessee Department of Tourism regional representative offered his congratulations to the group for taking charge and making something happen in Union County. The Department of Tourism has focused on promoting the music heritage of Tennessee, with seven genres of music having their roots in Tennessee, the Department has recently established Tennessee Music Pathways (https://www.tnvacation.com/tennessee-music-pathways). Tourism is Tennessee’s second largest industry behind Agriculture, and Dave highlighted the impact having a tourism venue can have on the local economy.

The Opry has partnered with Union County Schools to use the High School auditorium to host the concert series which will be held Saturdays. Once a month, the Opry will not only bring you the finest live bluegrass & country music around, but will provide an opportunity for local talent to perform on stage. Visit the Opry at https://www.facebook.com/unioncountyopry/ and share the news with friends and family.

See you at the show!