I’m not even sure where to begin with this event. Cari and I had been wanting to go to “Fan Fair” for years but couldn’t until she was out of high school. In Virginia school doesn’t end until the middle of June. So our first year was 2010. We were so stinkin’ excited! We even had a room booked at Opryland!!! That is until the heavens unleashed torrential rains upon the area and the Cumberland River overflowed its banks flooding much of the city – including Opryland – about 6 weeks before the festival. Thankfully, we managed to get moved to another hotel (which is where Cari and Matt met – now married – how’s that for synchronicity?) and much of the grounds needed for the festival was cleaned up and ready for the event to go on. It was an amazing recovery and made the festival that much more special.

As newbies, we really had no clue what we were in for. We had a plan – we always do. We learned to use it as a guide while being flexible and going wherever the moment took us. I don’t know how many times we were heading to one stage to see an artist on our schedule only to be waylaid by hearing another one on a stage we were passing. We found so many new artists that way. It was amazing! It was fun! These new artists love talking to you, signing autographs (actually a lot of them were stunned we wanted a picture with them, or an autograph, or even music if they had a cd for sale – usually for $5). This became our favorite part of the day. And to be able to come back year after year and see them again, see that some of them had grown and would go on to play bigger stages and even recognize and remember us! Well that’s just plain cool.

Then the nighttime concerts at the stadium! Wow! To see that many artists at the same venue, four nights in a row?! And to hear 60,000, 70,000+ fans sing the words back to the artist? It’s an experience you just can’t explain to someone who hasn’t been there, done that. Chills, from my head to my toes. Then came The Beach Ball Boys. Wow. I don’t think we were in their section our first year. But the second year we definitely were. What bloody fun!!!! It was so much fun. We didn’t know anything about these guys at this point  except they got beach balls in and passed them out to our section with a plan on when to release them. I didn’t know the back story of how, or when, it all started – I just knew it was fun! And it added so much to the evening! Fast forward a little, I stumbled across their Facebook page “Beach Balls at CMA Fest.” You’d have thought I hit the lottery!! I was so stoked!! How cool is it that they have their own Facebook page? So that year we got to meet them. And that was the beginning of a friendship that will last forever. These guys, and this “family” they’ve created at CMA Fest is unlike anything else you’ve ever seen or been a part of. It was a huge part of why we went back every year.

Then ABC got involved in the festival. Peeps, lemme tell ya, things have changed. A lot. None of them for the better. It’s all so fake now. Everything has to be taped to show couch potatoes at home how much fun we’re having. So let’s get this straight … We paid big bucks (and yes the price has doubled or more in the last 6 years) and sweated our butts off all day to participate in supporting the artists, but the taped event takes precedence over our actual experience. Every spare moment is advertising for either the replay of the four nights of concerts (with fake introductions of the artists) or ABC tv shows! In the introduction of each upcoming artist the announcement has to include a commercial promoting ABC programming. It’s disgusting.

Oh and let’s discuss what used to be Fan Fair Hall. It used to be a place filled with artists booths where you could purchase various souvenirs and hopefully get a photo and autograph during a scheduled meet and greet time. There were concerts all over the place. There were always meet and greets going on. You could stand in line for some of the more well known artists with the understanding there may not be enough time for them to meet everybody. We learned to live with that. The place was packed. And air conditioned. Lol. It was a popular, hopping place. Well, that’s changed too. There are a couple of stages and they do have some pretty cool artists at those sometimes. But since that’s all that’s going on, it’s challenging, to say the least, to get a spot or seat for most of those events. Most of what fills Fan Fair X now is shopping, vendors, monster trucks and advertising stuff for ABC. The air conditioning was the biggest draw for us this year.

Most of the smaller stages where we found, met and listened to new artists we were excited to support and watch grow are no longer around. If you can find one, it’s sponsored by some big company who has the schedule so tight the artist is rushed on and off the stage with no chance to interact with fans. There are other stages where the only way to get in is through a lottery you have to enter online two weeks before the festival. And you enter for all the available artists spots, having no clue what seats or meet and greets you will win with what artist if you are lucky enough to win anything. We heard over and over from festival goers that it was a joke. But tv cameras make it all look so awesome!!

It changed so much between 2010 and 2015 that Cari and I discussed not coming back this year … until we heard it was The Beach Ball Boys Final Ride. They, too, had felt the changing vibes around them and after 12 years knew it was time to move on and put the balls to rest. That is the only reason we renewed our tickets for this year. We knew we had to be a part of their Final Ride. These guys have become celebrities in the CMA Music Festival world. With multiple interviews on Storme Warren’s morning show (Sirius XM) and even featured on a GAC episode about the festival, you’d be hard pressed to find someone attending who hadn’t heard of them. They make the trek from Michigan every year and bring smiles and joy to many at the stadium all four nights. While there are some (fans and artists) who don’t love the beach balls, they’re in the minority. And if those people knew how this family of misfits came together and the reason it all started, well they may be swayed to change their opinion as well. Brian’s own words:


No one could predict what’s happened over the last 12 years and how important it became to many, us included. Cari and I looked forward each night to the passing out of the balls, sharing them with neighbors, enlightening Section 113 newbies (or anyone we ran into during the day), guessing which artist would be chosen for the honor of getting our balls, etc. It was the biggest consistent highlight of every night. Being a part of that gave us a feeling of joy you cannot imagine. We would bring, and share, sharpies so we could sign the balls before releasing and never know where they’d end up. Many times we’d see people walking out with them as souvenirs and posting pictures on the group page. It was nothing less than magical.

ABC hates them. Despite their efforts to ban and prevent the smuggling, the boys had help. Love always wins. And these balls were a symbol of that love. Paul and Brian reiterate that this group is not about beach balls. We are about love and being a family. That’s true, but those beach balls were a symbols of that love and those family values. But they got in the way of tv taping and made it difficult for editing, so ABC did what they had to do to shut this thing down. In true gestapo style they hired hundreds (600 was the number we were told) of extra security guards to shut down the antics of a few guys bringing joy to thousands. Think about that. Blows the mind, eh? For the first time in 12 years no beach balls were released at the stadium Thursday night (June 9, 2016). It was dark and quiet in Section 113. Oh we partied and enjoyed the music, but everyone was wondering what the hell happened. The Facebook page was blowing up from people all over the stadium asking about the lack of balls. Needless to say, there were many unhappy, frustrated folks that night. ABC won that battle.

Even so, the PLP (Parking Lot Party – held across the street from the stadium in the Quality Inn parking lot [thanks guys] because our group was denied tailgating privileges even though there were plenty of others tailgating [with alcohol] in the stadium parking lot – are you sensing a pattern here?) went off without missing a beat. The love and acceptance among these people is unsurpassed. It truly is, in many ways, a family reunion – every night before the stadium concerts. I have met so many people who have become friends through Paul and Brian it’s astounding. That’s what this group is all about. Love. And this handful of misfits from Michigan are the reason why.

Saturday night at the PLP we had a couple of surprises. See, we aren’t the only ones who believe in these guys’ mission of spreading love and joy. Storme Warren stopped by to party with us and show his support. As cool as that was (and we all thought that was pretty cool), there was more. He had been working behind the scene, contacting other artists to see what else he could make happen. Long story short, Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard from Florida Georgia Line showed up. They were so moved by the story that they did an interview with Storme and then came over to do the shotski with the guys. But wait, there’s more! They announced that they are donating $10,000 to the Vanderbuilt Children’s Hospital in the Beach Ball Boys name. Giving back to the community. How cool is that? Who’dathunk 12 years ago when it started with one lone beach ball bringing joy to one sad little boy that it could’ve, or would’ve, morphed into this?  After the massacre in Orlando Saturday night, we all needed to be reminded that in the end love will win.

The balls are gone. But the legend will live on. In the memories of those lucky enough to witness the magical release of beach balls each night for 11 years and in the continued kindness and love spread from each one of us who have been lucky enough to participate in the Beach Ball Boy’s shenanigans. They’ve touched a lot of lives and we’re all blessed by that.

I am so thankful we got to experience a taste of the old Fan Fair before it became just another tv event. I know life goes on and there will be plenty of people to take my seat. Either they don’t know any different or don’t care. And that’s fine. But this is one fan that won’t be back.