Bass Pro Nashville Reeling ‘Em In, Again

Posted: January 4th, 2011 by Bill Dance

I recently attended the Grand Reopening of Bass Pro Shops in the Opry Mills Mall in Nashville, Tenn. The store was closed for four months due to floods on May 2 or this year. Waters from the nearby Cumberland River literally ran through the store. Store managers told me merchandise actually floated about the store the water was so deep.

The entire Nashville region was really hit hard by that disastrous flood. Perhaps you saw some of the media’s coverage at the time of the event?

And regardless of the tragedy, the opening was a lot of fun and it raised money for a great cause. For every dollar spent in BPS that day, $.50 of it went to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to assist in ongoing flood recovery efforts.

Of course, my good friend and BPS founder Johnny Morris was there as was other big names in the outdoor industry such as Kevin Van Dam and Jimmy Houston. Several country music artists were on hand, as well as many athletes, including some members of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans.

The event was really a very big success and you could tell the community was glad to have that store up and going. There were A LOT of people there. I even got to meet some folks from the Lynchburg, Tennessee area where I grew up learning to fish in the region’s small creeks. And these new friends promised me that a few fish could still be caught in my old childhood stomping grounds, Mulberry Creek!

Again, it was really a lot of fun and a great event, with aid going to an excellent cause. With the help of many, the people from the Nashville area have really banded together in the wake of a major disaster. And it’s definitely true, what doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger. To me, such examples speak volumes about the human spirit, not only for our will to press on in trying times, put also of our potential to reach out and help others.