This is Scotty Country

Scotty Country

Okay, here's the confession of a retiree that'll make you say, "Get a job!"

Tim and I had followed "American Idol" this year with what we like to think of as a healthy, mature combination of enthusiasm and skepticism.  While we admire the talents of several of the young contestants, we followed North Carolina native Scotty McCreery's progress from audition to finals with the ardent loyalty of new immigrants to his state. We were tickled when Mr. Scotty bashfully addressed the glamorous Judge JLo--whose mega-stardom usually opens the door to uninvited familiarity from most fans--as "Miss Jennifer."  It's a Southern thing, previously mentioned in this blog.

So, when we found ourselves visiting family in Durham on the very night Our Scotty was anointed as the winner of Idol voters' hearts and...um, minds, we decided to cruise through his nearby hometown of Garner the next day.  It would be on the way home, after all.  And would we ever again in our lives be (knowingly) so close to the birthplace of an idol, however manufactured?  We wanted to see for ourselves his backwater origins and the degree to which Team Scotty and the Blue Crew had helped propel him into pop paradise. According to the Raleigh News-Observer, Scotty's "Idol" run "has meant a springtime of excitement in Garner. Mayor Ronnie Williams has said it has been the best thing to ever happen in the southern Wake County town of 26,000."

Despite this raft of residents keeping it afloat, and its proximity to comparatively cosmopolitan Raleigh, there is a certain "Last Picture Show" quality to the heart of Garner, North Carolina.

"A springtime of excitement" in Garner, North Carolina.

However, we probed further, venturing deep, deep into suburban Garner.  There we glided anonymously past the spacious, pleasantly treed-and-pine-strawed lots of substantial homes, two senior Scottyheads on the prowl--one, indeed, old enough to qualify for the senior discount at Harris Teeter. It made me consider that professional paparazzi probably always feel like you did in high school as you secretly patrolled the street where lived your secret unattainable crush.

"'He’s still the country boy he was when he went to Hollywood,'" said a young fan.
As much a country boy as Beaver Cleaver was, anyway.

 

If historic downtown is the heart, then Scotty's neighborhood must be the soul of Garner, exuding a more confident and prosperous--and now, triumphal--air, this air being, as we saw for ourselves, the wind beneath Scotty's ascendant wings.

 

I left suburban Garner with nary a glimpse of Scotty's dog, nary a sighting of Scotty's well-worn baseball mitt abandoned on his front lawn.  But I did feel satisfied that a young musician who made good was garnering--so to speak--the same kind of attention that an athlete would in becoming a top pick for the pros.

It's nice that those in the know say that Scotty is, currently, a nice guy.  Even after his big win, he went back to Garner under cover one day (just like us!) to take his Advanced Placement English exam.  His mom publicly announced that he will go to college.  According to WRAL in Raleigh, Krispy Kreme gave 2,400 donuts to help Garner High students and staff celebrate Scotty's victory.  So he must be a nice guy.

The Town of Garner is considering developing a map indicating places where Scotty "went to school, worked and prayed," WRAL reported. "Town officials have heard anecdotal stories of ...visitors looking for places where McCreery would hang out."


Oh.....really?

We read somewhere that Garner supports the arts--well, at least music programs--in its schools, and that their quality played a humble part in Scotty's success.

Thus, this is not an embarrassing account of celebrity chasing by someone who should know better.  Rather, this post is a rallying cry for better access to better arts education for our youth.