Educational Media Reviews Online

This film, part of the Discoveries…America series is a brief look at the life, history, and culture of the state of Tennessee. It’s well done and provides an interesting mix of what makes this state unique. The highlights include visits to Nashville, a.k.a. “Music City, USA” and the Country Music Hall of Fame. The Grand Ole Opry is the next stop, followed by a look at Hatch Show Prints, an original wood block printing house that makes show posters and has been in business for over 120 years. From there the viewer goes to Winchester and looks at the hat-making business. The hats are made primarily for police and military forces but there are other customers as well. The film then moves to the revitalized waterfront in Chattanooga, home of the largest freshwater aquarium in the world. Next we take a look at the Horsin’ Around Carousel Carving School, a unique operation dedicated to carving the animals for carousels. The Mississippi Queen riverboat is the next stop on this tour of Tennessee. An interview with one of the skippers provides some details about the history of the river and it’s relation to the state. After that we move to the Kentucky Lakes region and a look at a bass fishing tournament and then on to the country’s only freshwater pearl farm. The final stop is to the Holladay Bluegrass and Fiddlers Jamboree. Here we see musicians bonding in an outdoor, folksy atmosphere.

This film is recommended for libraries with collections about America’s cultural history. The interviews with the people encountered along the way are interesting and provide neat details about the state of Tennessee. The technical aspects are of excellent quality.