By Tom Wuckovich

Nashville has always epitomized what makes America great with its music, art and outstanding performances. This summer, Nashville—the home of one of America’s unique forms of music— is staging the second annual “Music City USA: Made in America,” a celebration of who we are as Americans.

This season-long event runs Memorial Day through Labor Day and includes demonstrations of the American spirit with music festivals, Americana exhibitions, historic attractions, legendary performers and a mid-summer traditional Red, White and Blue spectacular. There are over 100 individual activities scheduled for the summer months, culminating in a free Fourth of July concert and fireworks.

Also topping the popularity charts is “Country Music’s Biggest Party,” a tradition for 35 years. The CMA Music Festival brings country fans and artists together for four days and nights of live music from June 9-12. More than 200 artists perform over 40 hours of live music during the Music City festival. Additionally, artists participate in autograph signing sessions and pose with their fans for pictures.

Another great happening is the Tennessee Cruzin’ Classic Car Show, a three-day event at the Nashville Superspeedway. It will feature more than 2,000 American-brand cars built between 1900 and 1980 competing for up to $200,000 in prize money. The family-oriented show will include demonstration booths and special musical acts from June 16-18.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum gets into the act with two exhibits. “Night Train to Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues, 1945-1970,” a 5,000-square-foot exhibit showcasing a continually overlooked era in Nashville’s music history, the quarter century after World War II, when cultural icons like Little Richard and Jimi Hendrix apprenticed on Nashville bandstands. It runs through Dec. 2005.

In “Banjo Man: The Musical Journey of Earl Scruggs,” fans will see Scruggs’ life and career, from early childhood in rural North Carolina through his years with Bill Monroe, the evolution of Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys, and the adventurous folk-rock of the Earl Scruggs Revue. The exhibit is from March 4, 2005-June 16, 2006.

American fashion designer Halston, whose clients included Jackie Kennedy and Liz Taylor, will be showcased in an original exhibition May 14-Aug. 21 at Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art. The exhibition will highlight Halston’s influence on fashion.

During the summer events, the city of Nashville opens its downtown Riverfront Park on the 4th of July to spectators wanting to enjoy free entertainment and fireworks. In 2004, the free concert drew a crowd of 100,000.

The Pyrotechnics Association of America named Nashville a Top Ten Best Fireworks Display for 2004. For 2005, the Nashville Symphony will perform with different country artists, and the city promises even more fireworks. Already scheduled to appear: The Charlie Daniels Band. The Nashville Zoo has a special “4 on the 4th” discount for the holiday. That’s $4 off the regular admission price all weekend long.

Finally, on Labor Day Weekend, jazz saxophonist Kirk Whalum hosts the Music City Jazz & Blues Festival for the third straight year. The sounds of jazz, blues, reggae, funk, gospel, soul and R&B, fill the air at Riverfront Park.

A two-day event in downtown Nashville, the festival is a collaboration of music from local and national jazz and blues artists.

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