The tour followed up Nashville with a split week which started in Paducah, Kentucky. This is a small town which is undergoing a major renovation. Many of the historical storefronts are being refurbished while still retaining the charm of the original architecture. One of the key elements of this restoration and modernization is the huge new performing arts centre which was built just blocks away from the downtown area. It's always fun when the show is playing in a newly built theatre because the dressing rooms are generally very spacious and modern. The building itself was very nice in Paducah too. We had two shows on the Wednesday and they were too close together for us to leave and get a meal so instead we had a catered meal at the theatre in an enormous room which was all decked out for our dinner. Little things like that make it much easier to get through really busy days.

Our hotel was rather unusual in Paducah. There were two wings and in one wing the rooms all opened to an atrium area which was filled with shops. On Monday when we got there most of these were closed as many of the shops/restaurants in Paducah are on Mondays. On Tuesday, however they were all open for business. Although most of them weren't necessarily the type of shop we're used to (many were small hobby shops or even offices for businesses such as real estate) it was still fun to walk around and take a look at them.

After Kentucky we travelled to Aurora, Illinois which was filled with unexpected surprises. The first was the fact that there was a casino just across from the theatre. Gambling is prohibited in most states but the fact that the casino was on a barge which floated in the river (not on land) made it legal. The boys, who are always up for a game of poker or blackjack, were thrilled to discover this and headed straight over on the first night. Another surprise was the hotel rooms which came complete with the ever popular microwave/refrigerator combo. The lobby also had a stocked pantry where you could purchase all sorts of food to make in your room. The final surprise was an absolutely incredible meal which was put on for us by a restaurant just across from the casino. They kept the dining room open after the show and offered us anything we wanted off the full menu. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was very fun. It was the perfect way to wind down at the end of an 8 show/2 city week and we were all very grateful for their hospitality.