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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories 10 things to know for Friday Ashland publisher offers prize for environmental book Orthodox Church raising funds to build new home 10 things to know for Thursday What does Uncle Foods weekly dinner mean to you? Education Ashland Middle School students put their Spanish-speaking skills to the test Grizzlies claim speech championship Levy backers eye final push Neal Simon: This is a test Grade-school philanthropist Environment Ashland publisher offers prize for environmental book Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection Stopping fire in its tracks Some trails, roads remain closed due to controlled burn Earth Day: Hope for our 'pale blue dot' Business Ride & Drive: 2015 BMW 428i Gran Coupe Ashland Safeway closes Thursday, to reopen as Haggen on Sunday Cars We Remember: Car enthusiast wishes new model designs were ‘more different’ Ride & Drive: 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Silvio Calabi: Taxis and traffic in the olde worlde Politics and elections Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Gray's death Arthur I. Cyr: Cuba’s enduring challenge to American foreign policy – and American politics Kent Bush: Clinton 2.0 is neither new nor improved Arthur I. Cyr: Britain’s earthquake election State News Lack of snow nixes ski portion of popular Central Oregon race Bill under debate in Oregon would limit livestock antibiotics Oregon lawmakers begin minimum wage debate Runners to follow historic salmon migration path Nation - World There's a $10 million precious stone hidden in plain sight at Grand Central Obituaries Kenneth Lee Nichols R. Charles "Charlie" Snyder Death Notices Harry D. Detwiler Death Notices Shareable Sports Latest Stories Chris Singleton: No need for a rematch Ashland boys sweep doubles, beat GP Living on the edge SOU lands two on all-CCC softball team See you in August High school Ashland boys sweep doubles, beat GP Living on the edge SOU lands two on all-CCC softball team Ashland softball team rolls past Springfield Penn, Norvell, Baldrica pace Ashland track team at Crater Southern Oregon University SOU lands two on all-CCC softball team See you in August Same old Raiders Ashland softball team rolls past Springfield Who's got next? Voices Latest Stories James Jackson: Who’s driving your fear? Landgren cartoon: What the frack? Arthur I. Cyr: Britain’s important election – in royal political context Granlund cartoon: Texas conspiracy Landgren cartoon: Deflategate intensifies Editorial Our View: Forest work is a bargain Our View: What price history? Our View: Waging peace after war Our View: Rail car roulette Our View: Reading the tea leaves Letters Letters to the Editor, May 8 Letters to the Editor, May 6 Letters to the Editor, May 5 Letters to the Editor, May1 Letters to the Editor, April 30 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Restoring the Plaza's sense of place Guest Opinion: Making conservation a game Guest Opinion: A good day to act Guest Opinion: Allegations unfair to Dr. Tomashefsky Guest Opinion: Fremont cottonwood is not a hazard Columns Arthur I. Cyr: Britain’s important election – in royal political context Matthew T. Mangino: Aging prisoners: An American crisis Jeffrey Gillespie: Is there a right to offend? Editor's Notes: This, that and the other Mochas, Midrash and Mysteries: Balancing the gift and the task Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Peter Rowan, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys at Rootsfest Movie listings: May 8-14 Dancing People Company presents 'Salon Series' 5 picks for live entertainment Prepare for lots of dialogue in 'Clouds of Sils Maria' Theater Ticket availability Ticket Availability Ticket Availability 'Arsenic and Old Lace' has killer charm Some OSF crew members seek to unionize Music The Farr Side: Mumford & Sons’ latest is full-on rock Interview: Country singer Suzy Bogguss enjoying life on the road The Farr Side: CMAs do it right, in many ways Interview: Offspring plays hits new and old on tour The Farr Side: Slow disappearance of physical music Visual Art Movies Movie review: ‘Hot Pursuit’ is a hot mess George Miller returns to his ‘Mad Max’ roots Tom Hardy adapts to life as Mad Max Movie listings: May 8-14 Prepare for lots of dialogue in 'Clouds of Sils Maria' Food and Drink Taqueria Picaro takes over Tabu space Owner of Mix and Amuse to bring Flip burger joint to Ashland Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Looking Up: Once in a while a star blows up Health Watch: Easy tips to drink more water throughout the day Orthodox Church raising funds to build new home Antionette Kerr: Mother’s Day founder challenged commercialism Breathe easier with whole-house air purification Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Mocha Musings Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Our View: Forest work is a bargain ... Ashland publisher offers prize for environmental book ... Ashland Calendar, Friday, May 8 ... Our View: Forest work is a bargain ... Ashland publisher offers prize for environmental book ... Ashland Calendar, Friday, May 8 ... The Farr Side: CMAs do it right, in many ways By David T. Farr More Content Now DailyTidings.com By David T. Farr More Content Now Posted May. 1, 2015 @ 8:41 am By David T. Farr More Content Now Posted May. 1, 2015 @ 8:41 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2324,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> The 50th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards might be old news, but it’s still worth discussing. I’m not a huge fan of country, but CMA is what an awards show should be. Usually, hype overshadows such a show. It’s mainly about who’s hot in the genre and getting them to perform live. Most of the time it’s not really a country music show for awards, but more so like a glorified concert or cowboy hat convention. In recent years, I’ve tuned out long before the show was over, because I was bored. This time, CMA did it right — I was thoroughly entertained. Maybe it’s because it paid homage to many of the stars who brought country music to the masses. “Milestone Award” recipients included such legends as George Strait, Reba McEntire, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Garth Brooks, Miranda Lambert and Taylor Swift. Remember how the academy was so gung-ho to throw Lambert under the bus for going “pop”? It turns out, they knew it was a bad idea to diss one of the world’s most popular singers. Besides, look at all the attention she brought to the genre. It would have been foolish to not recognize her for all she has accomplished. Swift’s mother, Andrea, presented the honor to her daughter just days after Swift had gone public with the news of her mother’s cancer diagnosis. It was a touching moment for a woman who watched her daughter go from a little girl writing songs in her bedroom to a woman with global approval. Performances were numerous, including the return of Brooks. Reba showed how she can still command a stage and Strait can still wow the crowd, some 50 hits later. But none of the male artists truly stood out. In fact, they all sounded the same. This is a problem. The night’s best performance, for me, goes to Lambert for her rowdy little number, “Little Red Wagon.” It’s no wonder she has swept the ACM’s female category five times. It’s because she’s different! She’s leading the pack for females in the industry because she’s setting the bar herself. In all honesty, the night’s best moment came as a total shock to me and pretty much everyone else at the Arlington, Texas, arena or watching from home. It came as singer Lee Brice performed a little of Randy Travis’ “Forever And Ever, Amen.” Brice then spoke of Travis’ success having won Song of the Year honors three times before sharing that Randy was in the audience. Tears came to my eyes as it’s been nearly two years since I had seen Travis, who stood up and waved to fans. In July 2013, the singer suffered a massive stroke. Travis is a favorite of my mom’s. Just a few days later, she was airlifted to a hospital with serious health issues of her own. I was asked to bring some pictures to the hospital to aid with her recovery. I grabbed some family photos and some others that would jog her memory. One of those was of her with Randy Travis. She became a hit at the hospital, needless to say, as the photo made its rounds. What was even cooler was hearing her talk of the time they met. It was right before one of his shows that she was accompanying me. I had press passes, but he was running late. Time was of the essence that day, as she bolted down the steps to a room where he was, to say, “I’m with the press.” Travis walked over to her and the only thing my mom could say was, “Who the hell is George Strait when you’ve got Randy Travis standing right in front of you!” Travis cracked up and took the time to meet with us telling the stage managers they were going to have to wait. I’ll never forget how genuine he was to us. Both Travis and my mom have become very inspirational to many. It was so nice to see him back in the house that he helped build. David T. Farr is a Sturgis Journal correspondent. Email him at [email protected]. By David T. Farr More Content Now DailyTidings.com By David T. 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