July-August 2011

Is There Anything To Do in Nashville

That’s what Union General Buell asked Nashville’s mayor when his troops approached Tennessee’s capital in February 1862, after rolling up the Confederate’s western flank at Fort Donelson.

“Probably not,” the mayor replied, hoping to save the town from the boisterous activities their arrival promised. “General Johnston’s boys skedaddled, so there’s nothing here for you except some quilting bees and long-winded sermons.” The stratagem failed.

While the Confederacy relocated its Tennessee capital to Memphis, President Lincoln decided he liked the seat of government right where had been, appointing Andrew Johnson as the state’s governor.

As the war neared its close, with Sherman poised to make his march from Atlanta to the sea, the Confederate Army of Tennessee, under the command of General Hood, made a vain attempt to retake Nashville against vastly superior forces. The operation—termed The Battle of Nashville, though it took place several miles south of the city—ended in a rout of the rebel forces. Thus it was that Nashville survived the war without the devastation of shot or shell.

With the war over, and commerce along the Cumberland River flourishing, the good times began to roll once again…and have never stopped.

Which Brings Us to WASTECON 2011

Many attendees view WASTECON as an opportunity turn the extensive array of professional training and education programs into a springboard for ad hoc but focused discussions on issues raised in the various presentations.

While the sessions themselves may be filled with vital information presented in exciting and even entertaining ways, what I view as the most important aspect is the energy and quality of the many discussions that follow. You can be assured that the attendees of a particular session know that no matter what insight and wisdom emanates from the podium, much lively and absorbing debate is sure to take place in the hallways afterward. So what’s on the agenda this year?

Training Courses, August 21–23—Three-Day: MOLO, Managing C&D, Composting, Collection Systems, HHW/CESOG Facilities, Recycling Systems, Transfer Stations. Two-Day: Bioreactor Landfill Operations, Landfill Gas Systems. One-Day Workshops: Collection Operations, Waste Screening.

WASTECON Golf Tournament, August 22—Hermitage Golf Course

Facility Tours, August 22—Tour 1: National Recovery Technologies Inc., City of Franklin Transfer Station, and Williamson County Recycling. Tour 2: Bi-County Solid Waste Landfill and QRS Recycling Facility

Lunch and Grand Ole Opry Backstage Tour, August 22

WASTECON Opening Reception: Elvis Night, August 22—music, dancing, and Elvis contests in the Delta Atrium

Technical Sessions, August 23–25—Information on about every subject you can imagine.

Botanical Tour and High Tea, August 23—teatime treats from the Gaylord Culinary Team followed by a guided tour of the facility’s atrium gardens.

Chef Demonstration & Gourmet Lunch, August 24—SWANA has arranged a private cooking demonstration with a member of the elite Gaylord Opryland team

Wednesday Networking Event, August 24—at the world famous, Wildhorse Saloon in downtown Nashville

…and a bunch more.

Meanwhile, Out in the ’Ville

The Parthenon and Beyond—Yep, while Athens’ Parthenon sat moldering in the Aegean sun, Nashville constructed a replica for its 1897 Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition, so if you can’t wait for the face-lifting of the original to be completed, you have only to take the short walk from the...

...Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum—A quick tour through the country stars’ careers, lifestyles, and history. Nowhere else in the world will you find such a collection of country music memorabilia. You'll see that Webb Pierce was quite the flamboyant one with his guitar-shaped pool and that silver-dollar studded Cadillac. More information is available at
http://www.countrymusichalloffame.org.

The Hermitage—Take a detailed walking tour through the home and grounds of the Hermitage, former home of President Andrew Jackson and Rachel Donelson Jackson. More information can be found at http://www.thehermitage.com.

The Historic Ryman: The Mother Church of Country Music—http://www.ryman.com

Printers Alley—An assortment of clubs, including the Bourbon Street Blues & Boogie Bar, the Brass Stables, the Fiddle and Steel Guitar Bar, Ms Kelli’s, Lonnie’s Western Room, and Club Caliente. http://www.theprintersalley.com

Nashville Symphony—As a special treat on August 22, Return to Forever IV joins with Zappa Plays Zappa for a mind-bending fusion of music traditions. http://www.Nashvillesymphony.org

Tennessee State Museum—Current exhibits include Egyptian Relics, Replicas & Revivals: Treasures from Tutankhamen. http://www.tnmuseum.org

Frist Center for the Visual Arts—Presenting the finest visual art from local and international sources. http://www.fristcenter.org

Lane Auto Museum—The largest European auto collection in America. http://www.lanemotormuseum.org

…and a bunch more—so make your plans, and we’ll see you there at WASTECON 2011.