The history of Nashville’s legendary bluegrass gem The Station Inn is being chronicled in a brand new exhibit at the Country Music Hall Of Fame and Museum beginning this month. The Station Inn: Bluegrass Beacon opens Friday, Jan. 15, and will run through Jan. 2, 2022.

“The Station Inn has done so much more than simply provide a venue where musicians and fans alike can gather to play and hear music. The Station Inn has built and nurtured a community,” said Kyle Young, CEO, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “The camaraderie, the joy and the sounds that greet patrons entering the club are an experience like no other. We are happy to share the story of a venue that continues to be a sanctuary and haven for some of the finest artists and their music.”

Items featured in the new exhibit include instruments, photographs, posters and other unique items from the club’s rich history. Highlights include seats from a tour bus used by Lester Flatt, now serving as seating in the venue, the 1927 Gibson A-Jr. model mandolin used by Nashville Bluegrass Band member Mike Compton in performance and to create his Grammy-winning contribution to the film O Brother, Where Art Thou?, a poster covered with the autographs of musicians who played the club and well-known patrons, and more. 

The Station Inn was founded in 1974 by a group of bluegrass musicians and singers, Bob and Ingrid Fowler, Marty and Charmaine Lanham, Jim Bornstein and Red and Bird Lee Smith, who wanted to provide their fellow musicians and fans with a venue where they could play and hear bluegrass music. The owners served as the house band, with other pickers popping in for regular jam sessions. It moved from its original location near Nashville’s Centennial Park to its current home at 402 12th Ave. S. in 1978.

Three years later, future Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame member J.T. Gray purchased the Station Inn with a vision to make the club a venue that would draw national recording acts and inspire local artistry. Over the past 40 years, Country Music Hall of Fame members Vince Gill, Bill Monroe, Ricky Skaggs and Mac Wiseman, as well as Richard Bailey, Dierks Bentley, Mike Bub, the Fairfield Four, Alison Krauss, the McCrary Sisters, the Nashville Bluegrass Band, Molly Tuttle and more have taken the stage at the legendary venue.

Kenny Chesney‘s No Shoes Reefs, a grassroots organization committed to creating healthier oceans, has joined forces with Coastal Conservation Association Florida (CCA Florida), Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management, Sandoway Discovery Center, Reef Ball Foundation, Building Conservation Trust, and Global SubDive to deploy 13 10,000-pound goliath reef balls, creating “No Shoes Reefs 4.” This kicks off development for a 32-acre underwater reef park.

Global SubDive’s Go America vessel dropped the 7-by-6-feet reef balls, donated by No Shoes Reefs and Reef Ball Foundation, in the Delray Dredge Hole, the pre-permitted artificial reef site roughly 0.35-mile long by 0.13-mile wide. The reef site is located offshore just over 0.5 miles east of Delray Beach, Florida (26º 27.178/-80º 02.739). No Shoes Reefs 4 takes its name from the reef’s four partners, and will provide long-term educational opportunities for the students of Palm Beach County through the Sandoway Discovery Center’s ongoing educational programs. These educational opportunities will necessitate an ongoing reef monitoring program. No Shoes Reef 4 will also provide a long-term economic boost for the county, as well as a positive impact on the marine species, tourism, and on the local fishing and diving community for many years to come.

“No Shoes Reefs is an extension of how I have tried to live for many, many years,” says Chesney. “Love the water, give back to the water. Many people don’t realize both how fragile and resilient the ocean’s ecosystems are, and I think it’s the small projects that raise awareness on local levels that help people understand the ocean is a living thing. Our partners have been so tireless in terms of raising money, awareness and doing the actual work – and it’s a wonderful way to build the No Shoes Nation community of people who care about the ocean, the beach and our whole way of life.”

This deployment will create a foundation for natural habitat development and also provide divers the opportunity to explore dozens of future underwater acreages. Once complete, the 32-acre artificial reefs will include countless paths for underwater enthusiasts to discover new marine habitats from unique seagrasses to a variety of fish species.

“Improving and creating sustainable fisheries and protecting Florida’s marine environment is CCA Florida’s lifeblood,” says CCA Florida Director of Habitat and Environmental Restoration Frank Gidus. “We’re honored to be part of this reef project and partner with No Shoes Reef, as it’s a symbiotic relationship sharing the same goal—to improve our coastal environments and waterways for today and for generations to come.”

Artificial reefs initiate the development of natural, thriving habitats for various species of fish, invertebrates, and other marine life, such as smaller organisms that are vital food sources for other marine species, with the overall goal to create an ever-evolving ecosystem while enhancing fisheries, improving water quality and providing new opportunities for local anglers.

No Shoes Reefs and Reef Ball Foundation donated the 13 reef balls along with four flatbed trailers to transport the Go America vessel. Funds were secured from proceeds of eco-friendly No Shoes Reefs products with partners Deep Apprel, SiliPint and RePatriot Flag. Additionally, CCA Florida secured funding from IMPACT100 Palm Beach County, earning a merit award in the Environment and Animal Welfare category and receiving $13,000 during the 2020 Grand Awards.

Photo Courtesy of LWR

Ronnie Dunn is offering up some of his photographs for a very good cause as part of his Lensman Project. The photos can now be ordered on his website via prints, hats, throws and more, all to help support the American Cancer Society. The cause is one that definitely hit home for the country legend, whose daughter won a bout with cancer several years ago.

“Three years ago my youngest daughter walked into the kitchen and told me that she thought she was having an appendicitis attack. After thorough testing, our lives changed. The tumor was believed to be a very rare form of kidney cancer seldom experienced by young people. We took her to specialists where further tests confirmed that the tumor was indeed malignant. Like many thousands of loved ones who experience the cancer journey, our world stopped. Thanks to the world-class doctors and cutting-edge technology, the tumor was removed, and she has been cancer free for three years,” Dunn said.

After spending more time outdoors than he normally would during the pandemic, Dunn has been able to use his time off the road and his Lensmen Project to depict the nature that is sometimes overlooked. His cowboy perspective behind the lens offers a rare and unique eye, and in addition to wildlife and outdoor scenes. Dunn’s photographs have appeared on the covers of various magazines and have been showcased in the Country Music Hall of Fame.

For the first time, fans across the globe can purchase Dunn’s Lensmen Project work, with portions of the proceeds going to the American Cancer Society. Photographs can now be ordered on his website via prints, hats, throws and more.

“These days I get almost as much satisfaction and enjoyment from photography as I do stepping on stage,” Dunn said. “I really do! I’ve kept a camera in my hand over the years and now I can almost get off a decent picture.”