A night at the Opry: fiddles, fried catfish, and friendly smiles are served up every Friday evening in Sparta.

On Opry nights, people travel from across northeastern Mississippi along the winding country roads that converge on the tiny community of Sparta and the unpretentious metal building that is home to the Sparta Opry.

Every Friday night without exception, the doors to the Opry open wide to welcome guests from all walks of life, and while a large number of the attendees are past retirement age, all ages are represented. Many have made the weekly trip for years, but there are always a few newcomers, and they are welcomed warmly. Here, in the midst of vast acres of rolling farmland, old homes, and small country stores, strangers are not strangers for long.

Inside the Opry, long tables decorated for the season line the room. Colored lights twinkle around the walls and brighten the stage at the far end of the building. Plump pillows from the pillow bin will be added to the metal folding chairs as visitors arrive, providing much-needed comfort, as most of the more than 200 visitors will be seated for the next three to four hours.

Ask just about anyone what brings them to the Opry, and you'll hear a response similar to the one given by Marlin Nabors, who accompanied by his wife, Jackie, and his mother, Dot, rarely misses a Friday night performance. "It's the best food we've found anywhere, and the entertainment is addictive."

From about 4:30 in the afternoon until well after 6 p.m., the line at the buffet winds across the room and down one wall. The Opry volunteers are tireless in their efforts not only to provide a wholesome family atmosphere and a variety of entertainment but also to serve up heaping plates of scrumptious chicken strips, catfish fried to perfection, and all the trimmings. Add a glass of sweet tea, and you've got a delicious meal for only $6. For another dollar, generous servings of pie, cake, and other desserts are available.

Twice a year, chitterling suppers are served along with the usual chicken and catfish. The crowd increases by up to a hundred on these nights as people vie for a portion of the 200 pounds of chitterlings, or pork intestines, prepared for the occasion. Volunteer Kenny Ricks describes the preparation process: "We boil the chitterlings all morning, change the water and add seasonings about noon, boil them some more, and then we fry 'em." According to many of the attendees, you either like them or you don't!

Promptly at 6 p.m., Kenny, wearing his familiar red shirt and cap, takes the stage. The prayer list is read, followed by announcements of upcoming musical events and fund-raisers in the area, many of which take place at the Opry on Saturdays. Before the entertainment begins, a prayer is offered which always includes a plea that our troops overseas be guided and protected. Many of those present are veterans, and it is quite a moving experience to attend the Opry on any night that they are recognized.

This rural tradition got its start nearly 20 years ago when a group of musicians began meeting on a back porch to play together and to enjoy the company of fellow musicians and friends. Through the years, the group outgrew one place after another, with the decision finally being made to purchase land and construct a building large enough to accommodate the burgeoning crowd. A few of the original founding fathers are now gone, but the spirit and mission of the Opry are very much alive, with various charitable endeavors being a large part of their vision. Spooky Cole, one of the founding fathers, still plays a set every Friday night. He plays dobro and guitar and has recorded for the Mississippi Arts Commission's Folk Arts Archives. His blues is vibrant and real, sending your imagination plunging into the smoky juke joints where he performed during his early years. When asked about his music, Spooky speaks intensely, "You can't just sing the blues, you have to feel it."

Volunteers are at the heart of this nonprofit organization, and they pitch in to provide anything that's needed to make the Opry successful. The entertainers also volunteer their time, but they are quick to point out why they're happy to perform without pay. According to Billy Alford of the Back Porch Pickers, who started playing at the Opry about 12 years ago, "I just like to play. My father played guitar, and so did my four brothers when we were growing up. I've been playing ever since. We just enjoy the music."

The music is a blend of country, blues, and bluegrass, with a little gospel thrown in for good measure. Requests are honored by all of the performers, and some of them, knowing they'll always be requested to sing a particular song (such as Spooky Cole's rendition of "Blueberry Hill"), usually just add it to their set without being asked.

Along with the regular performers, there are others who come to back up any band or singer that needs it. In some sets, the lead singer easily becomes a back-up guitar player, and the fiddler just as readily switches to guitar or mandolin. If a band is missing their drummer or piano player, there is usually someone available to sit in. Guest performers come more in-frequently but pack the house when they perform. Performers range in age from as young as 6 to well past 70. Occasionally, performances are enhanced--much to the delight of the audience--when one of the older gentlemen is moved to dance a jig beside his chair. At the Opry, you soon learn to expect the unexpected.

There is an easy camaraderie among the mostly self-taught members of the Back Porch Pickers: Billy Alford; his daughter Hope, Hope's husband, Neal; Tom Booth; Curtis Burton; and Bill Shumaker. All of them sing, with the exception of Hope, who prefers to stick to her mandolin, and Bill, who is happy just playing his dobro. When asked to describe their style of music, Neal says, "We all love bluegrass, so that's usually what we play."

At 7:30, Kenny takes to the Opry stage again. Newcomers stand and introduce themselves, and those having birthdays or anniversaries during the week are recognized. Afterward, a drawing is held for such items as a much-coveted salt-cured country ham, a bag of sweet potatoes, homemade accent pillows, cakes, and more.

An evening at the Opry passes quickly, and before you know it, the last set is completed and everyone is heading into the starlit night and back down the country lanes that will take them home. In the fast-paced world we live in, the Opry is a calming respite that always leaves its visitors a little more carefree--and eagerly anticipating the next time they can spend a night at the Opry.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CARA STOCKTON