Calendar of Events

  HEARTLAND SERIES BILL LANDRY

For twenty-five years, Bill Landry has been the voice and face of The Heartland Series on WBIR, Channel 10. In fact, retired Knoxville News Sentinel Senior Writer, Fred Brown, describes Landry as “East Tennessee’s favorite uncle, the one with all the good stories that have become so familiar and popular.”

The Heartland Series premiered in 1984 to showcase the 50th anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Landry quickly emerged as host, narrator, and co-producer of the show. Over the twenty-five years, the “Heartland” team produced 1,900 short 3 - minute features and 150 half-hour specials. The show received four Emmy awards, two of which Landry won for direction.

Landry grew up in Chattanooga, and earned a degree in literature from the University of Tennessee and a master’s of fine arts degree from Trinity University and the Dallas Theater Center. He wrote and produced a one-man play about Albert Einstein called Einstein the Man and traveled 38 states and two provinces in Canada to give over 1,000 performances, which he continues to do. The book, Einstein the Man was published in 2000 and multiple copies given to every school within the state of Tennessee. From 1982-1984, he worked for the Tennessee Valley Authority before beginning work on The Heartland Series, one of the longest-running productions in regional television history.
 
Today, Bill and his wife Becky live in a log cabin built in 2007 in Blount County, Tennessee. Appropriately, it sits adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The Main Street office of US Bank in Rogersville and the Rogersville/Hawkins County Chamber of Commerce is proud to host a book signing for Mr. Landry’s new book “Appalachian Tales and Heartland Adventures.” He will be available for autographs from 1-3 with a personal commentary at 1:30 pm on Friday January 27, 2012. He will have copies of his newest book available for purchase. Light refreshments will be served.

Please join us as we celebrate the history of our region and its people.

Event Schedule

1-3 with a personal commentary at 1:30 pm on Friday January 27, 2012