AUDIO: Emily Adams' first single

She's like a kid in a candy store.

Emily Taylor Adams, barely 17 years old, was in Nashville this week, recording the last of 11 songs for her debut CD that is set for release later this year.

Emily Adams returned home from recording her debut album in Nashville in time to join the entertainment lineup at the Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair.

"It's been a long time coming, and I'm really excited to get it done," Emily told the Langley Advance.

Monday, in fact, she was putting a few last-minute touches on the recording of I Love You Because You're You, before flying home Tuesday and performing at the Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair on Saturday.

While many youngsters would be nervous to be away from home, and worried about falling behind in their school work, this Grade 11 D.W. Poppy student is revelling in everything that is Nashville.

She's ecstatic to be in the studio at least seven hours of every day, recording her songs, which she points out are co-written with some of the industry's best songwriters in Nashville today, like Wade Kirby (George Strait's I Saw God Today), Lee Miller (who writes for Brad Paisley), Keith Follese (who writes for Faith Hill and Tim McGraw), and Jenn Schoot (writes for Rascal Flatts, among others).

Emily enjoyed travelling around the country music capital with her mother, Barb, and father, Steve, transfixed by the rich history of Tennessee's music mecca.

Likewise, Nashville offered some shopping experiences like none Emily has ever known before.

And much to the delight of Emily's sweet tooth, she's also discovered the Cheesecake Factory, a shop that, on its very own, could draw this Brookswood teen back down to the South for another eyes-bulging, tastebud-dancing sugar fix.

"I love it here," said the singer who's already dreaming of a time when she can finish school and return to Nashville on a full-time basis.

She's actually been in Nashville three times in the past 14 months, writing and recording different parts of her new, but yet unnamed album that she describes as a fusion of pop-country.

She said. "It's kind of young and fresh."

During her first trip to Nashville last March, she spent two and a half weeks writing and recording.

She was back there again in January for three more weeks of the same, producing Things That We Remember - which was released to radio in February.

More recently, Emily went down to Nashville on April 29 and spent a final week writing, before heading back into the studio for an intense week of recording.

"I get pretty tired," she said, admitting that working on the CD has taken its toll on several fronts, including her school work.

Struggling to catch up with her classmates, she begrudgingly had to return to her hotel room in Nashville every night for a few hours of homework after a full day of recording.

But all her work is paying off.

The album is set for release this fall, and already Emily is being booked for some exciting gigs.

Not only has she been invited back to Merritt Mountain Music Festival this summer, but this time out she'll be performing on the main stage.

She's also excited about being part of this weekend's Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair.

Emily will be on the outdoor stage on Saturday night at 7:40 p.m., and has been invited to perform at a special VIP event at Fraser Downs on Sunday.

Others performing on the outdoor stage this weekend include Langley's own Gabby Girls dance team and the Thunderbirds quick-draw demo.

Also on that stage will be the well-known country band Appaloosa, and there's a free-concert Sunday night by legendary Canadian rock icon Chilliwack, which celebrates its 40th anniversary next year.

The headline entertainer for this year's Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair was, without question, Terri Clark, who kicked off the long weekend of festivities with a sell-out fundraising concert on Thursday in the Longhorn Saloon.

She was accompanied by two special guests, both with strong Langley ties: Ken McCoy and Whiskey Jane.

Clark's special concert partnered one of B.C.'s most popular events with one of its most important charities - the Gizeh Shriners of British Columbia & Yukon - with proceeds benefitting the Shriner's Care Cruiser program, which provides transportation for sick children from around the province to Shriners hospitals and B.C. Children's Hospital.

Cloverdale Rodeo and Country Fair runs May 15 to 18 at the Cloverdale fairgrounds. In addition to a jam-packed schedule of live entertainment, there's a new "invitational" format rodeo featuring more than $360,000 in prize money.

The weekend of festivities also features Langley's own West Coast Amusements midway with more than 30 rides, a popular kids zone with performances and activities, the annual parade, and unveiling of the BCLC 2010 Winter Games Dome.

General admission is $10 per person. Children under seven get in free.

For more information, visit: www.cloverdalerodeo.com.

rhooper@langleyadvance.com

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Tim McGraw starred in the original Flicka, and now the sequel will showcase another well-known country music singer – Clint Black.

With several hit singles, numerous awards, a few film appearances and, most recently, a spot on Donald Trump’s The Apprentice, Black is a familiar face and an industry heavy-weight.

The “girl and her horse” movie begins filming in Kamloops and Merritt on April 22. Cast and crew will be in the area for about a month, which is a huge boost for the area’s business sector. And another boost will come in the form of celebrity for the extras chosen out of the over 1,000 who answered the casting call last weekend.

“I will now be reviewing the pictures with the director over the next few weeks,” casting director Stephanie Boeke says. “I will be in touch with those he has chosen.”

Directing Flicka 2 is Michael Damian, is best known for his role as Danny Romalotti on the Young and the Restless.

And Vicci Weller, executive director of film for the Thompson-Nicola Film Commission, is on the lookout for an all male country music band in their late teens or early twenties with original material for the production Alice, which is also set to be

filmed in this area.

“We’ve had many musicians come forward, and we’ve forwarded their names and contact information to production,” Weller explains. “I’m always amazed at the large amount of talent in the region – it’s like a never

ending pool.”

Weller says that in addition to those two upcoming projects, this area is being scoped out for the filming of three TV series and another feature film.

“We’re very busy right now – and that’s a good thing.”