T RACE ADKINS, DOLLY PARTON, TAYLOR SWIFT AMONG THE STARS
OUT FOR THE GRAND OLE OPRY 85th BIRTHDAY BASH OCT. 8 & 9

Opry celebrates just 10 days after show’s scheduled return to the Opry House

CBS broadcaster Charles Osgood to join the fun, play with the Opry band

NASHVILLE, Tenn.  (Sept. 23, 2010) - Some of country music’s favorite artists will be part of the excitement as the Grand Ole Opry® presented by Humana® reaches the culmination of its months-long 85th birthday celebration with a two-day Birthday Bash Oct. 8 and 9. Featuring Opry performances by award-winners Trace Adkins, Crystal Gayle, Dolly Parton, Taylor Swift, and many more, the Bash lands just ten days after the world-famous Opry’s planned Sept. 28 return to the Grand Ole OpryHouse after having been displaced by flooding last spring.

“There’s so much to celebrate this year, in particular,” Parton said. “I’m looking forward to seeing all the good country music fans that weekend, and I just hope good lookin’ guys like Trace Adkins are as excited to come see me when I hit 85 as they are to celebrate with the Opry this year! Of course we don’t have to worry about my 85th for a long, long time!”

Renowned broadcaster Charles Osgood, anchor of “CBS Sunday Morning” and of CBS Radio Network’s “The Osgood File” will join the party Fri., Oct. 8. Osgood will take to the piano to be a part of the Opry’s “I’m With The Band” celebration which invites celebrities from all walks of life to sit in with the Opry band. Inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame in 2000, Osgood joined the ranks of the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1990. The fan of several styles of music has received some of the highest accolades in broadcast journalism, including four George Foster Peabody Awards and three Emmy Awards. He has served as anchor and reporter for the “CBS Evening News” and “the CBS Morning News” and is the author of six books.

Additional Opry Birthday Bash components are set to include backstage tours of the newly-renovated Opry House; a Saturday afternoon salute to country comedy featuring T. Bubba Bechtol and Opry member Mike Snider; and a free Opry Plaza Birthday Party presented by Humana featuring a festival atmosphere of music, games, and more.

The Grand Ole Opry® is presented by Humana®. Tickets are now available for all the Opry 85^th Birthday Bash shows, and for money-saving 85th Birthday Bash packages. To plan an Opry visit, call (800) SEE-OPRY or visit opry.com.

About the Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry presents the best in country music live every week fromNashville, Tenn.  A uniquely American experience for more than 80 years, the Opry can be heard on 650 WSM-AM, SIRIUS XM Satellite Radio, and opry.com. The syndicated weekly program, America’s Opry Weekend, airs on country radio stations across America and on the Armed Forces Radio Network. The Grand Ole Opry is owned by Gaylord Entertainment (NYSE: GET), a Nashville-based hospitality and entertainment company that also owns and operates Gaylord Hotels.  For more information, visit opry.com or www.gaylordentertainment.com