Montgomery Gentry

LOUISVILLE - This was one time Eddie Montgomery was smiling from the time he stepped foot in the KFC Yum! Center Tuesday until the time he left. Montgomery, an avid University of Kentucky sports fan, made himself right at home at the home of the Louisville basketball team, as part of the historic USO Homefront Concert. Montgomery Gentry was the headline attraction at the first USO concert ever in the United States to entertain families of the troops and volunteers who support them.

SATURDAY Soles4Souls 5K Run/Walk There will be a fundraiser 5K at the Calvary Christian Church walking trail on Boonesboro Road today at 8:30 a.m. Registration begins at 7 a.m. and a one-mile fun run will begin at 8 a.m. The cost is $1 and a pair of new or gently used shoes to be donated to Soles4Souls, which provides shoes for victims of natural disasters. The run/walk is part of a Girl Scout Gold Award project by Ashton Wasson and Callie Miller. JULY 27-29 Cheer with the Champs Cheerleading Camp The George Rogers Clark High School varsity cheerleaders will host a cheerleading camp for age 3 through fifth grade at the school gym. Camp is $50 and is from 9 a.m. to noon each day. For more information, e-mail Tina Lewis at lewis2749@att.net or call 749-2193.

John Michael Montgomery’s Country-Fest, a two-day country music festival, will be held Sept. 23-24 at Lykins Park in Winchester. In addition to providing country music from up and coming artists, well known performers and country music icons, the festival will also showcase arts and crafts, family activities, food vendors, fireworks and more. RV and campsites are also available. Tickets will be sold as daily passes for $20 or weekend passes for $30. Children 10 and younger will be admitted for free.

HARRODSBURG ? Kentucky women's basketball coach Matthew Mitchell didn't let a long, disappointing Monday night ruin his enthusiasm Tuesday morning when he had a chance to speak to 16 teams participating in the Kentucky National Guard Titan Christmas Clash at Mercer County. Mitchell's team lost its first game at Middle Tennessee Monday night and he didn't get back to Lexington until 3:30 a.m. Tuesday. However, he was at Eddie Montgomery's Steakhouse in Harrodsburg at 8:30 a.m. to speak at a breakfast for the players, coaches and others associated with the tournament.

LEXINGTON ? Matthew Mitchell knew exactly who he wanted for his celebrity guest at Kentucky's Big Blue Madness Friday. The UK women's coach is a Montgomery Gentry fan and lists "My Town" as his favorite song. He even used that song as his intro for games last season. That's why he asked Perryville's Eddie Montgomery to be a guest coach at Friday's event in Rupp Arena and was thrilled when Montgomery accepted and brought his wife, Tracy, and son, Hunter, with him. "I needed a little extra help, so I had to bring in a big gun," Mitchell told the Rupp Arena crowd.

LEXINGTON ? John Calipari didn't understand why he needed to give a talk at Big Blue Madness. He barely said a few words to the fans attending similar festivities at Massachusetts and Memphis. His initial plan at Kentucky for tonight's event at Rupp Arena was to introduce the players, let the players do a few dunks, maybe have a 3-point shooting contest and then scrimmage. "Then I saw how important this was to this state. I had to give in and let this thing go. It is what it is," said Calipari Thursday during UK's Media Day. What changed his mind was the passion of UK fans who camped outside Memorial Coliseum to get tickets to Big Blue Madness.

HARRODSBURG ? After many delays, Eddy Montgomery, singer of "Something To Be Proud Of," can expect the doors to swing open soon on his new steakhouse that definitely is a jewel for Harrodsburg's economy. An official date hasn't been set for the opening of the Eddie Montgomery Steakhouse, but General Manager Vince Royalty is hoping for mid-December. Royalty said he will have an exact date set in mid to late October. Officials and construction workers broke ground on the steakhouse in April 2008.

There was no way Eddie Montgomery could say no to this request. His daughter, Candice, approached him about Montgomery Gentry doing a benefit concert at Western Kentucky University. She's a sophomore there in the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority and Casey Brummett, a senior from Boyle County, is in the Kappa Alpha fraternity. They brainstormed and thought a concert would be a great fundraiser for their charities ? muscular dystrophy and arthritis research. "Actually, it was a lot easier than I thought to talk him into it," said Candice Montgomery.

Dear Editor, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry of the hit country duo Montgomery Gentry on their induction into the Grand Ole Opry. I can't think of any two people more deserving of this honor than two good old boys from Kentucky. I have been a longtime fan of theirs, and I am so proud of them. Montgomery Gentry has a huge fan base. Like Eddie would say, "We don't call them fans, we call them friends," and he is absolutely correct.

NASHVILLE - Eddie Montgomery can still remember those childhood moments sitting in a "junky station wagon" with his father listening to the Grand Ole Opry on the radio. His father told him then that to make it big in the country music business required performing at the Grand Ole Opry here. Now Montgomery, who lives in Perryville, has done that and more. He's a member of the Grand Ole Opry after being inducted along with Troy Gentry during a ceremony here Tuesday night honoring Montgomery Gentry.