It’s
fitting that Seely be the one to celebrate the Opry’s birthday with
Crawford County folks since she has a history with the fair that goes
all the way back to her childhood. “I’ll always remember my excitement
as a kid surrounding the fair,” Seely notes. “Growing up we raised
strawberries on our little farm outside of Townville, and a lot of the
kids in the area picked strawberries to earn money to go to the fair…so
the excitement had quite a while to build!”
“Of course so many families had made or raised things they were
entering in the competitions, and that was something else to look
forward to,” she adds. “That’s also where I learned that motion sickness
did not just happen in the backseat of the car…it could occur on
amusement rides too!” Seely chuckles when she recalls, “I also learned
that you CAN eat too much corn on the cob and too much cotton candy! But
most of all for me, any kind of musical entertainment at the fair was a
thrill. It’s kind of amazing now that I get to be that entertainment!”
Crawford County folks were thrilled to welcome home their resident
Opry legend. Seely’s show drew the biggest crowd at the Fair. Crawford County Fair Board Director Diana Perry
stated, “We are very pleased that Jeannie Seely was so willing to work
with us at the Crawford County Fair. Her hometown crowd filled the
grandstand and were so pleased she could find time in her tight schedule
to make it back home to perform for them.”
One fairgoer wrote on Seely’s Facebook page, “I really enjoyed your
fantastic show at the Crawford County Fair in Meadville, Pennsylvania. I
love your singing and listen to it all the time. It was so great to
meet you before the show. I felt honored to shake your hand and chat
with you for a minute before your great performance. Thank you for coming home to perform!”
The excitement about the show was mutual as Seely said “I just can’t
thank everyone enough. I was so honored when I was invited to perform at
the Crawford County Fair this year and had been looking forward to
going home! However, nothing could have prepared me for the wonderful
welcome I received! So many came out in rather inclement weather to see
me and even stood in line after the show for a meet and greet, including
a 92 year old man who has not seen me since I was a small child!
Everyone told me how proud they were of me, but there is no way they
could be as proud as I am to be their kin, classmate, and neighbor! I
realize now more than ever how fortunate we all were to grow up in that
area…and in that era!
Jeannie Seely is in the sixth decade of her entertainment career
that began when she was 11 years old singing on a WMGW morning radio
show. She has had success as an actress, author, songwriter, and singer,
but mostly she is known as being an amazing entertainer. She was first
to wear a mini-skirt on the Grand Ole Opry stage and has always been
known as an individualist. She’s been credited with changing the image
of female country performers, and her infectious humor has always been
one of her trademarks. She has been a member of the Grand Old Opry since 1967 and is thrilled to be hosting and performing at the Opry on any given weekend that she is in town.
