By Whitney Blair Wyckoff

Opry is a variety show for people with a sweet tooth for ballads or a passion for the bouncy country tunes of yesteryear.  The bands in these country music houses will even play recent favorites, bluegrass, gospel and pop songs--but all with a country twist.

These performance halls are beacons of culture tucked away in small towns scattered throught the rural Midwest.  There are two opries in east-central Illinois:  the Bement Country Opry, which offers shows at least once a week, and the McLean County Country Opry Show in Bellflower, which performs monthly.