Scottymania has hit Garner. Big time.
Our town has a population of about 24 or 25,000. We had 30,000 here for the Scotty parade on Saturday. That doesn't include the 500 waiting at the radio station at 8am, nor the lines at AT&T or Lowe's Foods where he worked. I think it's sweet that stores are putting "Go, Scotty, Go!" on their billboards or "We love you, Scotty!" It's nice that our town is behind their own. When I saw the sign at Timber Drive Elementary, where he attended school as a child, that was neat. And then you see the sign at the YMCA, Heather Hills Clubhouse, the red and white painted sign with some crazy message about country music on the side of the road propped up against the trailer park mailboxes, and it becomes a little bit funny.
But then you go somewhere. Doesn't matter where. Church, Target, the gas station, a restaurant, the gym, the Garner Republicans meeting, and EVERYBODY is talking about Scotty...how proud they are, how awful Gaga is/was, how he's such a level-headed kid, how awesome it was to hear a young person talk about God, to share his faith, reminding people to vote! You'd think it was election year, but without the mud-slinging.
And I'll watch with a little trepidation what I can on Wednesday night. I want to see how they portray my hometown. I know they made him re-do his entrance at Garner Senior High, and they DID allow him to go to his prom after all, and he posed with his half-empty jug of Bojangle's Sweet Tea near the airport, but will they show that? Will they show the tract his church passed out with his testimony? Will they hear him quoting Bible verses from his devotions or talking about his youth pastor? Will they air his meeting with Josh Turner and his comments that one of the things he admires the most about JT is his faith? Somehow I fear those things will not be shown in Hollywood. But 30,000 people heard it. Everyone who watched WRAL heard it.
And I'll join the throngs in voting in 2 nights. No, I won't stay up late and vote a gazillion times. But I am proud of our 17 year old local kid for being a David in a Goliath world. And if for no other reason, even my mother-in-law who is (16 by her count, but that breaks down into at least 3.5 scores plus if you use the old English way of counting) quite adept at texting is voting. And she'll ask, like everyone at the gym, did you vote?
Our town has a population of about 24 or 25,000. We had 30,000 here for the Scotty parade on Saturday. That doesn't include the 500 waiting at the radio station at 8am, nor the lines at AT&T or Lowe's Foods where he worked. I think it's sweet that stores are putting "Go, Scotty, Go!" on their billboards or "We love you, Scotty!" It's nice that our town is behind their own. When I saw the sign at Timber Drive Elementary, where he attended school as a child, that was neat. And then you see the sign at the YMCA, Heather Hills Clubhouse, the red and white painted sign with some crazy message about country music on the side of the road propped up against the trailer park mailboxes, and it becomes a little bit funny.
But then you go somewhere. Doesn't matter where. Church, Target, the gas station, a restaurant, the gym, the Garner Republicans meeting, and EVERYBODY is talking about Scotty...how proud they are, how awful Gaga is/was, how he's such a level-headed kid, how awesome it was to hear a young person talk about God, to share his faith, reminding people to vote! You'd think it was election year, but without the mud-slinging.
And I'll watch with a little trepidation what I can on Wednesday night. I want to see how they portray my hometown. I know they made him re-do his entrance at Garner Senior High, and they DID allow him to go to his prom after all, and he posed with his half-empty jug of Bojangle's Sweet Tea near the airport, but will they show that? Will they show the tract his church passed out with his testimony? Will they hear him quoting Bible verses from his devotions or talking about his youth pastor? Will they air his meeting with Josh Turner and his comments that one of the things he admires the most about JT is his faith? Somehow I fear those things will not be shown in Hollywood. But 30,000 people heard it. Everyone who watched WRAL heard it.
And I'll join the throngs in voting in 2 nights. No, I won't stay up late and vote a gazillion times. But I am proud of our 17 year old local kid for being a David in a Goliath world. And if for no other reason, even my mother-in-law who is (16 by her count, but that breaks down into at least 3.5 scores plus if you use the old English way of counting) quite adept at texting is voting. And she'll ask, like everyone at the gym, did you vote?
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