The 'Teddy Bear' Goes Into America's Country Music Hall of Fame in Lemars, Iowa

"When someone mentions a 'teddy bear' in country music, those fans of early classic country music know immediately what and who they are talking about. Newer country music fans who do not have that kind of connect, probably don't know what a 'teddy bear' ever had to do with country music."

Bob Everhart, is probably the longest running promoter of early traditional and classic country music in the upper Midwest. He's also a performer and recording artist of the same music genre, not the least being his Grammy nominated album released by the Smithsonian Institution. "I really like traditional country music," Everhart recently said in an interview on KMA Radio in Shenandoah, Iowa. "KMA Radio is where all the early performers of country music performed" he said. "The Everly Brothers, Bill Monroe and his brother Charlie (now there's an interesting story, Bill Monroe married a girl from Clarinda, Iowa), and tons more, even a little teddy bear."

Everhart, who is the mover and shaker behind America's Country Music Hall of Fame, is also very outspoken about awards, merit, honor, and pride. "It's so difficult to understand why a Hall of Fame dedicated to country music, located in Nashville, Tennessee, has so few honored by them. Country music is an international genre of music, and that includes all the players of it, from the earliest times in the Appalachian Mountains, to the first beginner somewhere in California. Why is that such a 'closed' operation. We had to do something about it, and we did in 1976. We started with those artists that have made significant contributions to the music here in the State of Iowa. Then we went to the upper Midwest, and then we went 'National,' and then we went 'International.' That's covering a lot of ground in 38 years, and we haven't slowed down even a little bit. This year is our 38th year of hosting the festival where these Hall of Fame inductions take place, and this year is no exception when it comes to celebrities making the trek to the corn fields of Iowa to reap this award. One of the most interesting ones, is a teddy bear."

The location of the festival Everhart is talking about is the Plymouth County Fairgrounds in LeMars, Iowa, where the festival has been held for the past six years. Before that it was held in Council Bluffs, Avoca, and Missouri Valley. "We've moved for various reasons," Everhart said, "mostly because of an outrageous increase in rental fees, or simply because someone else thought they could take it over. We've been strong about keeping what we do directly involved with traditional and classic country music, bluegrass music, even folk music, and sometimes loud electric bands and musicians don't agree with that philosophy, so they try to imitate what we do. It's for some of these same reasons we have so many celebrities involved in what we do. They come to Iowa to receive what they consider a very 'real' honor. This isn't something you can buy, or imitate, or even pretend to get. It's the real-deal, and it comes directly from the people I represent, rural Iowa. We already have a number of celebrities coming for Hall of Fame inductions this year, Mickey Gilley, Kenny Seratt, Joanne Cash (Johnny's sister), Dr. Harry Yates (founder of Cowboy Church), LuLu Roman (from Hee Haw), Roger Tibbs (from New Zealand), and I just got word that the beautiful girl from Arkansas that made a song called "The Teddy Bear" famous is going to be with us this year. That's right, Barbara Fairchild is bringing a teddy bear, to put in America's Country Music Hall of Fame, right next to her picture. What a great country song that was, and what a very nice lady it is that recorded it. Her husband Roy Morris is also going to be with us."

The festival begins August 26, and goes all the way through September 1 (the full week before Labor Day), and it runs from 9am in the morning to midnight every day on ten stages. When asked why there are so many stages, Everhart said, "We have over 600 performers, pickers, singers, entertainers, musicians coming to this event every year, and they all want to play, and they all want pay. Well, we can get them on a stage, but we can't always pay them, there are just simply too many, but we don't turn anyone away. We believe there's a time and season for all things, and this one singular event in the corn fields of Iowa, is where anyone who is pursuing being an entertainer can participate, learn, perform, and even achieve that very important step of entertaining a large audience. That's why we welcome with open arms, a little teddy bear to this year's festivities."

The organization Everhart is president of has a website for more information at www.ntcma.net