‘Ernest Day’ in 2022: Here's the history and a list of events happening this weekend

Hey Vern, it’s another annual Ernest Day in Dickson County this weekend.

Yes, that famed catchphrase is required in every “Ernest P. Worrell” story. And, yep, Ernest Day is indeed a big deal, particularly for Ernest superfans. Visitors can join in with the fandom, visit with past Ernest movie actors, see multiple filmmakers in action, and partake in various activities Saturday at Montgomery Bell State Park.

Knowhatimean? (The other required catchphrase).

This year, though, fans and actors will miss an Ernest personality-sized presence.

In May, John Cherry, 73, who worked with Jim Varney to co-create the Ernest character, died after years living with Parkinson's disease. Cherry was executive vice president of Nashville advertising agency Carden & Cherry, and director of the Ernest movies and commercials, which started with a 1980 ad for Beech Bend Park in Kentucky.

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The Ernest uninitiated folks — perhaps born in the 2000s or avoided pop culture entirely in the 80s and 90s — might ask, who was this denim vest-wearing feller who was omnipresent for over a decade.

Ernest, played by Varney, appeared in TV ads throughout the South in the early 1980s, crying out "Hey, Vern!" before praising the product being sold. What followed were 10 feature films, including Ernest's first big-screen moment that was filmed at Montgomery Bell State Park and released 35 years ago: "Ernest Goes to Camp."

In a 2019 interview, he said the Ernest character “just took off on its own.”

“There was something about Jim's talent, he could look into that camera and look right through you,” said Cherry about Varney, a classically-trained actor who, in real life, was cruising around Middle Tennessee in a DeLorean. “He wanted everybody to laugh, and we did — the crews, the fans, everybody.”

Cherry regularly attended Ernest Day, took photos with fans, and signed copies of his “Keeper of the Clown: My Life with Ernest” book.

Montgomery Bell State Park ranger Geoffrey Ransford, who helped create the event five years ago, said the small memorial will include a photo of Cherry and flowers as well as small film about Parkinson’s Disease before “Ernest Goes to Camp” showing that night.

‘Importance of Being Ernest’

Superfan filmmakers have been part of Ernest Day since the inaugural event. But this year, a New York-based crew — David Pagano and others — will be in Dickson County to interview Ernest enthusiasts and people involved with the movies.

Pagano, who is co-host of the “Ernest Goes to Podcast” show, is joined on the documentary team by writer Justin Lloyd, who is Varney's nephew and writer of “The Importance of Being Ernest: The Life of Actor Jim Varney.” They are also joined by Daniel Butler, a frequent Ernest collaborator and Nashville native, and members of Pagano’s team.

Pagano explained the origin story of Ernest podcast and documentary, which will of course be titled “The Importance of Being Ernest: A documentary about Jim Varney and Ernest P. Worrell.”

"Ernest was a presence in my childhood,” said Pagano, particularly recalling the late 80s Ernest movies regular TV rotation.

"It's a little like trying to remember, when did you meet your uncle,” Pagano said. “I don't know. You've always known him. He's always there."

During the ensuing decades, Pagano didn’t think much about Ernest. But, in 2015, Pagano and a friend went down a YouTube rabbit hole watching old Ernest commercials and bloopers.

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"It struck us. Not only are all these ads one take, but he's also not reading off a cue card because his face is so close to the camera,” said Pagano in admiration of Varney’s acting. "We were talking about him so much by ourselves that we thought we should record some of this. That led to the podcast. And the podcast led to the documentary."

Other filmmakers planning to attend are twins, Ivon and Eyan Wuchina, who made a short documentary about Ernest Day and have been regular attendees of the event — they can often be spotted by the large Ernest dolls they wear like necklaces.

“We saw it as a duty of ours as fans to show that his legacy is still alive and still strong,” said Ivon Wuchina in a 2019 interview. “We wanted to pay respect to Jim Varney. He never took a scene off. His energy was unparalleled. Let’s not let anyone forget how big Ernest and Jim really were.”

Ernest Day 

Saturday, June 11; 2-10 p.m. 

Montgomery Bell State Park, 1020 Jackson Hill Road in Burns

Schedule of events

-7 p.m. Ernest Look-Alike Contest

-7:30 p.m. Question-and-answer session scheduled with actors from the Ernest movies, including Eddy Shumacher (“Counselor Stennis”), Todd Lloyd (“Chip Ozgood”) and Butler (Eddy). 

-8:30 p.m. the "Ernest Goes To Camp" movie will be shown outside at the film's location. Bring a blanket or chair.

Events schedule (from 2-5 p.m.)

-Turtle Catapulting (no turtles are harmed at this event, says park officials) 

-Birds of Prey Program with Ranger Tim

-Archery

-Free temporary tattoos and stickers, while supplies last. Stay tuned for updates regarding Face painting.

Nature Hikes: 2-3 p.m.; 3:30-4:30 p.m.; and 5-6 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: ‘Ernest Day’ returns to Dickson County this weekend