BUS TOUR SHOWCASES WYNETTE'S MUSIC, MEMORABILIA

Tammy Wynette's Bible, dresses and crystal bowl full of cotton will have traveled to 25 American cities by the end of next week, evoking fond memories and more than a few sad tears from fans who get the opportunity to see them.

Some of those fans will get to see the late country music icon's life re-enacted if they can croon anywhere near as well as she did.

The "Stand By Your Man: The Tammy Wynette Story" bus tour comes to the Town Plaza in Cape Girardeau on Wednesday to promote a play of the same name. Performances begin Sept. 13 at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn., and chronicle Wynette's troubled romances, health problems and refusal to fully accept her success.

Tour workers will invite fans to sing one of Wynette's songs. The best performer wins tickets to the play.

Jennifer Spence, sales and promotions director for the Grand Ole Opry, said people embrace Wynette's legacy like few other country stars'.

"She had five husbands, illness most of her life and was a single parent for so long," she said. "I get a kick out of the fact that she still had her cosmetology license when she died. She never gave it up because she wanted something to fall back on."

Spence said Wynette kept the bowl of cotton to remind her of her tough childhood and how far she'd come.

Wynette, 55, died April 6, 1998, at her Nashville home.

Spence said bus tour visitors in Wynette's hometown of Tremont, Miss., were waiting in line when the display arrived July 3 and cried when they saw the singer's most personal possessions.

Morning K103 disc jockey Bobbi Ann Mason has been promoting the bus tour on her show and said the response has been impressive.

Mason said her favorite Wynette song is "Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad" because of its catchy melody. However, "Stand By Your Man" is the best-selling country single of all time.

The bus will arrive at 11 a.m., park in front of True Value Hardware and leave at 1 p.m.