A sold-out Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center had to be evacuated Tuesday night after a mechanical explosion damaged a large chunk of the complex's Delta area. It appears a mechanical system near an elevator malfunctioned. The blast resulted in one minor injury. Gaylord said this morning that the facility has resumed its normal business and that the incident will not have a material impact on its business.

The Nashville Fire Department, Nashville Police Department, and structural engineers worked through the night to assess the damages and ensure the integrity of the property before allowing everyone to re-enter shortly after 3:00 a.m. CST today. Initial estimates of the damages are less than $750,000 and repairs are underway. The Company carries business interruption and property insurance associated with explosion damage. For now, the affected areas of the Delta Atrium at the property are safely closed off.

The team at Gaylord Opryland has begun hiring people to fill some 450 seasonal positions, most of them related to the ICE! attraction that will return to the complex this winter. Interested? Check out details here.

The Fontanel Mansion & Farm has named J.P. Dansereau its general manager in charge of business development, sales and operations. Dansereau comes to the Whites Creek concert venue and restaurant from the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, where he directed travel industry sales.

The popular ICE! exhibit at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center will this year feature prominently the characters from the Madagascar movies, the result of Gaylord's alliance with DreamWorks. The two companies are rolling out similar attractions of Gaylord's other properties and tying in other attractions featuring Madagascar and Shrek themes. In addition, the long-running A Country Christmas show at Opryland will introduce a new Louise Mandrell show and a Holly Jolly Town Square attraction.

Bass Pro Shops will this August bring to the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center a three-day outdoor activities expo that will also include seminars on smart land management, bringing together Ducks Unlimited, the National Wild Turkey Federation, the Quality Deer Management Association, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Safari Club International Foundation. The real fun, though, will be had in the parking lot.

Outside, 105 acres of private land adjacent to Opryland will become an outdoor playground with ATV and UTV test tracks, tractor pulls, food plot and crop demonstrations, classic truck and tractor exhibits and a Kid’s Village featuring activities for all ages including a zip line and treestand safety demo, a shooting trailer presented by NWTF JAKES Take Aim and an archery range presented by the National Archery in the Schools Program.