Inspired by religion and a legendary country music radio show, music-lovers flock to the Oak Ridge Opry.

The local version of the show that started in Nashville marked its 10th anniversary Friday at Oak Ridge Methodist Church with two bands, homecooked food and good memories.

There was even a real celebrity. Walt Grayson, host of WLBT-3’s “Looking Around Mississippi,” spoke before the celebration started.

Grayson’s program explores Mississippi history, and the rich history of the church, built in 1859, and its cemetery with graves that date to the early 1800s, were the part of the draw for Grayson to attend.

Once the music started, the audience was as animated as the bands. While the first group, Ole Habits, played such classics as Hank Williams’ “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” several couples danced among the metal folding chairs in the main music hall.

And the celebration continued into the night with the Wright Road Band following and guests from other bands that appear regularly coming on stage to play.

“Bands cross over to play with other friends,” said Jerry Goings, an engineer who has been going to the Opry since it started at the church about 16 miles north of Vicksburg on Oak Ridge Road. For Goings, its about a 30-minute drive the second and fourth Friday of every month.

One of the original Opry attendees, Beverly Ervin, said her husband, Jimmy, and the other members of The Oak Ridge Band named the weekly gathering after the Grand Ole Opry, begun over WSM radio 80 years ago in October. Radio was in its infancy, and it was beginning to link people with common interests. That’s what the Oak Ridge Opry does, too.

Before Ervin, a rhythm guitarist, and his friends found a gathering place for their music, they met at Ervin’s house. Their music style, which blended the sounds of guitar, mandolin, fiddle and harmonica, attracted an audience too large for the house and forced the band to move to the church.

The local community already used the church for social gatherings, so the band took the name “The Oak Ridge Band,” and made it their performance hall.

“They ventured to the chapel youth center, and people started coming,” Beverly Ervin said.

The alcohol-free Opry won a devoted crowd, and more people began traveling to the tiny community in the woods to hear the music.

“We had no air or fans … just opened the windows and fought the horseflies and bugs,” said Clara Oakes, a lifelong resident of the area and an original member of the Opry community.

Though mostly adults attend the Opry, the crowds donated money to renovating the community center. Volunteers installed air conditioning, added a kitchen and a game room for the local church youth group.

“(The Opry) really has been an outreach in this community,” Oakes said.

The youth group meets on Saturdays, though some children and teenagers attend the Opry on Fridays as well.

Throughout its decade as a haven for old gospel, blues and classic country, the Opry has weathered the deaths of some of the original band members, members moving away and a band name change to Southern Steel. Ten years and thousands of shows later, the Opry can still draw a crowd.