Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon was born on October 25, 1912, in Centerville, Tennessee. She first performed on the Grand Ole Opry in November 1940 and opened the show with the renowned phrase "How-deee! I'm just so proud to be here." The audience reacted tremendously to the lady on stage wearing a cheap cotton dress and a wide-brimmed hat that still had the price tag attached, and Minnie Pearl was on the Opry to stay. In 1975, she was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame. In addition to her many country music awards, in 1987 she was presented by President Reagan with the Cancer Society's Courage Award. In 1992, she was presented by President Bush with the National Medal of Arts. In 1994, she was inducted into the National Comedy Hall of Fame. Though Grinder's Switch was a place not far from Minnie Pearl's home, it was also a state of mind, "A place where there is no illness, no war, no unhappiness, no political unrest, and no treatment. There is always something good happening in Grinder's Switch. It's like Christmas all the time, full of love, joy, hope, and happiness. May you always have a Grinder's Switch to go to."