Opry thrives with family atmosphere

Carolyn Justice has been attending the Bement Country Opry since it opened. Every Friday night, she sits in the same front-row seat and enjoys the opry's house band and special guests.

"I used to go with my husband, who's now deceased ... but I've continued to go to the opry," the Forsyth resident said. "I just love it."

Performances at the downtown venue have entertained audiences for about 12 years, said Ken Honecker of Bement, who's played electric bass and sang in the opry's house band since it opened.

The venue seats about 300 people and about 150 show up weekly, said Sondra Wooley, who owns the opry with her husband, Larry. No smoking or drinking is allowed.

"We do a good, professional show, casual enough where people feel comfortable [so] the audience kind of feels like it's a part of the family show, too," said Wooley, who lives in Decatur.

The opry's weekly shows sometimes have themes and guest musicians. It also hosts occasional special-event shows on Saturdays.

The Wooleys bought the Bement Country Opry in 2001 from original owners Herb and Sally Bone. Sondra Wooley said she was a house band member when she and her husband made the purchase. It's the couple's second opry business, and Wooley said it's given her the chance to work and play with old friends.

"Some members I personally have worked with since 1976, off and on through the years, through all of our careers," Wooley said. "It's like a family, very tight-knit. Everybody comes in the weekends; it's like having a big party Friday night."

Honecker said he's found a camaraderie with both the show's other musicians and the regular audience members.

"You can relax. The people that come in ... are like family," Honecker said. "And we still get a few people who've never ever been in the place before. It's still growing."