VENDOR SUBMISSIONS
Mario Makes Moves Former ‘Contributor’ vendor helps haul furniture for newly housed folks BY HANNAH HERNER When The Contributor got an influx of donated furniture that needed to be picked up, former vendor Mario Martinez was commissioned to help. He’s picked up a number of loads of furniture from his old neighborhoods, Donelson and Hermitage, and brought them in to newly housed Contributor vendors. An unexpected bonus is that he gets to catch up with old customers. Many of those he picked up furniture from recognized him from when he sold The Contributor. “I enjoy it because it's going around in a full circle. So I'm running into my customers again, and I feel good to see them and talk to them. They can see where I'm at and what I've done,” he says. Mario is one of the early success stories of the paper, transitioning from living in a barn to living in his own home and leveraging his connections built through selling the paper to create his own business, Bear Lawn Care. The business is named in memory of his dog Bear,
a big fluffy white dog who used to sell papers with him. “I'm surprised that people will come approach me and say, ‘Are you Mario?’ I say 'yes ma'am,' And they'll say 'I knew that was you!' You know, I always thought that nobody really recognized me or knew me, because everybody knew Bear. And so but now I'm finding out that they do know who I am also,” Martinez says. He uses the trailer typically reserved for his lawn mower to transport the furniture. Timing was good to help The Contributor this fall, as lawn mowing season was slowing down, he says. It’s a full circle moment for Martinez, who experienced homelessness for years before moving into his own home five years ago. He remembers that when he moved in, neighbors and friends swooped in to outfit his apartment. “I want to do what I'm doing to help others out by picking up furniture and delivering it and doing my part, because I've had people do that for me,” he says.
An Evening With Garth and His Guitars BY NORMA B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR So are you tired of hearing my stories about Garth yet? If so, this IS NOT the story for you. On the other hand, if you are a true Garth enthusiast like me, read on! One might expect a superstar like Garth when performing at such an iconic venue as The Opry House to belt out one song after another from his vast catalog for the duration of the show, but that is not what happened at all when I saw him last Thursday. He opened the show doing two or three songs as a “sound check” saying that while you typically do those before the show starts, it sounds totally different in an empty auditorium than in a room full of people, which I can attest is absolutely true. After that, he said the show could begin. He went on to cover a multitude of artists both old and new often citing their influence
on his own music, each famous in their own right — people like: James Taylor, Jim Croce, Ashley McBryde (Garth sang his version of, “A Boy Goin’ Nowhere.” Between you and me, I think he’s goin’ places.), and Dan Fogelberg. (At this point in the show, Garth told the audience exactly why guys sing in or join a band: “It’s for the girls,” he said.) He continued on with still more music from the likes of Bob Seger, George Strait, Billy Joel, George Jones, Merle Haggard and Bill Withers (“Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone” was a highlight, and he said his mom was channeling him for that particular song.) Not to be left out, he also sang Otis Redding, David Allan Coe and Don McLean. So, was I disappointed? Not at all! For me, it just validated the way I listen to music. I put it on shuffle, and let it play. Of course, there were a number
of Garth’s classic hits in the mix too. Many of them had the crowd of approximately 2,600 clapping, singing along, and often bringing them to their feet for standing ovations. He spoke with great emotion about his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame especially the participation of George Strait, James Taylor, and Bob Seger each putting their own spin on one of Garth’s memorable melodies. Just when you thought the show couldn’t possibly get any better he introduced his lovely wife Trisha Yearwood and the crowd went wild! They teamed up for a few songs. Notably, “Walkaway Joe,” (Garth’s request), “Shallow,” “Golden Ring,” and “Whiskey to Wine.” She finished her set with her hit, “She’s In Love With the Boy” accompanied by Garth on guitar. In fact, the entire show was like that. No big band or back up singers
to drown out the purity of his voice or sheer raw talent that he clearly possesses, or to cover glaring flaws (not that there were any.) It was just Garth and his guitars — in fact, that’s what led to the title of this story. There was one exception. He sang “Anonymous” acapella to a cancer patient undergoing treatment for the second time in three months. It was BEAUTIFUL! The show fittingly concluded with, “The Dance” with the audience once again on their feet singing along right to the end. Well Garth, you’ve done it again — lived up to the hype, and put on an unforgettable show! Thanks for the memories! One can only wonder what’s next for this legendary performer. He hinted that this show may have been a test for a possible residency at The Opry House.
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I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens with that... one thing’s for sure, if it does happen I have no doubt his fans will show up. How do I know? I met people who came specifically for the show from Florida and Austin, Texas. I also met a few locals. There was a lovely couple from Franklin enjoying their first time at the Opry on a date night, as well as a wonderful woman from Sparta who watched as I struggled to pick from two T-shirts so I could have a lasting memento of the event. She said, “You should never have to choose when it comes to Garth,” and secretly paid for both shirts! When I realized what she’d done, I thanked her and in exchange I gave her the current issue of The Contributor, hand sanitizer, and a bumper sticker — that way she got something out of the deal too. Now that’s pretty cool if you ask me.
