The Happy Hour Goes Dark

At the end of this afternoon’s show, Dana Hanson is leaving The Country Station to pursue other options. Sean will be taking the mic from 3 – 7 pm, and weekender John Thompson moves into the weeknight shift.
Dana came to The Country Station as a fan 7 years ago to fulfill a girlhood dream of being on the radio. In her generation, women were not widely accepted on the airwaves. She started late at night on the weekends, and eagerly absorbed all there was to learn about radio from her more experienced co-workers. Soon she was offered a full time morning show on sister station, KKVS. That experience proved to be a fertile initiation into the world of 21st Century radio. When the opportunity presented itself, Dana was transferred back to her first love, the country format. Dubbed The Happy Hour for her bubbly personality, Dana made the afternoon show her own through down-home humor and a neighborly demeanor. Often called The Red-headed Hurricane because of her brassy and whirling personality, Dana commanded respect from her younger peers, who in turn revered her tutelage and bestowed the nickname, Mama Dana. She will be missed by all of her chil’ren. The word just doesn’t sound the same without the Texas accent.

In other news from Around The Country….
Trace Adkins is going on a USO trip. No specific details will be known until he gets back and is free to tell all, but this is not his first trip overseas. His first USO trip was in 2002, he performed for the USO World Gala in Washington, D.C., and in 2007 he was given the USO Merit Award for his continual dedication to supporting troops. Trace said, "This is such an honor for me to be able to visit with our military and tell them how much we truly appreciate all the sacrifices they make for our country and our freedom.”

Dwight Yoakam and Kris Kristofferson are currently filming a new movie together in Canada. The Last Rights of Ransom Pride is described as a unique and non-traditional western that takes place in 1910 with all the western elements. Dwight plays a killer in the movie while Kris plays an outlaw. No timeline for the movie has been set yet, but Dwight and Kris have other projects set to be released soon. Four Christmases starring Dwight, Tim McGraw, Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn hits theatres November 26th. And Blue Powder starring Kris, Jessica Biel, Patrick Swayze and Lisa Kudrow will be released New Year’s Eve.

Joe Nichols will be inducted into the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame. He was born in Rogers, Arkansas and is among eight Arkansas entertainers slated to receive the honor on November 15th.

LeAnn Rimes and her husband Dean Sheremet renewed their wedding vows last Friday in Napa Valley, CA. You may remember that LeAnn was 19 and Dean was 20 when they wed. Their actual seven year anniversary isn’t until February, but the couple decided to celebrate early to take advantage of the warm weather and LeAnn’s birthday. Next on the couple’s list are children. They just moved into their new house and say they are ready for little ones. And, good friend and former neighbor Keith Urban seems to be nudging them along as well. LeAnn says, “He’s encouraging us to start gettin’ on it.”