FROM THE MAYOR'S DESK

It seems the whole nation is caught up in the "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire" craze. Even our kids are into it. Family trips in the car don't even reach the edge of town that our kids aren't asking if we'd like to play "Millionaire."
However, you won't find us asking how far it is from the earth to the sun. An example of the Jones version might be - "Oscar the Grouch lives in an A. Tent, B. Box, C. Garbage Can, or D. House." Sometimes we need to phone an imaginary friend or do the "50/50," but we can normally generate a millionaire before we reach our destination.
Most of you probably do not know that I was once on the game show "Top Card." I thought some of you might find it interesting to learn more about my experience into the world of television.
Top Card appeared on TNN (The Nashville Network). I'm going to guess it was sometime early 90's. The show was pretty simple, based on mostly music and entertainment trivia. You played against two other people. There were questions asked, and if you were the first to answer it correctly, you'd receive a card. The goal was to get as close to "21" with your cards without going over. Kind of a mix between Trivial Pursuit and Blackjack.
Anyhoo', I watched the show everyday, and always thought I knew more than the people did that were actually on it. At the end of each show, they'd have the "If you'd like to be a contestant" blurb, so one day I wrote them explaining my interest. A few weeks later I received a letter stating they were interested in me as well. I called and did a telephone interview/quiz, and the next thing I knew I was on my way to Nashville.
I'll say that it is much different in real life than it appears on TV. We went and watched them tape several shows the day prior to when I was scheduled, just to get a feel for how it went. Before then, I had full intentions of going there and winning big. By the end of the day of sitting in the audience, I had come to realize that I'd be happy to get just one question right to avoid full embarrassment. I don't know what it was - the lights, cameras or people, but it appeared to be very stressful, and ultra-intense.
So the next morning I went there, nervous as could be. There was a large group of people, probably thirty or so. They scheduled more people than they needed, mainly because some wouldn't show at all, some would get there but then couldn't perform due to nervousness, etc. They would tape five or six shows a day, and after waiting and watching through the first three, they came to me and said I'd be on number four.
This was quite possibly the most nervous time of my life. I had started to question how much I really knew, but more so was concerned that I would do something really stupid on national TV. Even though they assured us that they could edit out anything that might happen, it still left for a butterfly in my stomach the size of an Ostrich.
So then we got started, and after the first few minutes, I became more comfortable. I ended up winning the remaining three shows taped that day, which was a Thursday. They weren't taping again until Monday, so I had to drive home, re-group, and drive back down Sunday. I was there again Monday morning, got beat in the first game, and drove home again.
But I did do well. I ended up winning somewhere around $6,500 worth of really nice things, including golf clubs, bed wear, kitchen wear, a telescope, a very nice camera, kitchen stove, etc. They were all shipped directly from the manufacturer, so it was kind of like Christmas for a couple of weeks as UPS delivered everything. I did have to pay taxes on all my winnings, receiving something like a W-2 showing the value of what I'd won, and simply showed it on my income tax return.
I didn't win the car that I wanted, but had a great time and gained my "fifteen seconds of fame" that we all hear about. I will tell you that it was "rigged." There were people behind the board from where the cards were turned, and after I had answered the final true and false question incorrectly while trying to win a car, a guy came out and said "They were really trying to give it to you."
I knew it just in case anyone was wondering, the song "Green, Green Grass of Home" never went to number one for either Roy Clark or Porter Wagoner.
My, how I've grown to hate that song.