The 2008 CMA Music Festival gets underway today (Wednesday, June 4), with all sorts of events and activities on tap in Nashville as the city gears up for four solid days of concert performances and autograph signings by some of the biggest names in country music.

The first “official” event of the festival is an afternoon parade through the streets of downtown Nashville. Chris Young will be among the stars taking part…and he’ll also perform as part of an all-star concert afterward. That event — the CMA Block Party on the corner of Broadway and Fifth Avenue in downtown Music City — will be headlined by Keith Anderson.

Earlier in the day, Keith will be among the stars playing softbal to raise money for charity. The annual City of Hope Softball Challenge pits two teams of stars against each other at Greer Stadium (home of Nashville’s MLB farm team). This year’s lineup features Carrie Underwood, Keith (as we mentioned), Sara Evans, Jake Owen and Chuck Wicks, among others. (AUDIO INFO BELOW)

Today’s events will be capped by Marty Stuart’s annual Late Night Jam, a charity concert at the Ryman Auditorium that will feature Gretchen Wilson, among others. Last night, Carrie Underwood and Montgomery Gentry were featured on a special Tuesday night edition of the Grand Ole Opry in Music City.

On Thursday, autograph signings, daytime concerts on the city’s riverfront and nightly concerts at LP Field (home of the Tennessee Titans) will fill the schedule for country music fans who’ve flocked to Nashville by the thousands to see and meet their favorite stars.

  Carrie Underwood admits she’s still looking for her baseball glove in preparation for playing in a charity softball game today. (:13)
“I have to find mine! I have one, and it’s pretty broken in. It’s not too bad. I need to just run it over a couple times with my car…but I need to find it. I think it’s in my closet — I’m not sure.”

  Carrie Underwood reveals she has some previous experience behind a baseball bat…and it pre-dates her hit video for “Before He Cheats.” (:28)
“I played softball for like eight or nine years — I don’t remember which, but I played it quite a bit growing up. And I played fast-pitch in high school. I was one of the younger ones that actually got to play. I don’t know how many games we won or anything. It was fun. I told the coach, though — he was asking us, ‘What positions do you play?’ I was like, ‘I play catcher,’ and he just laughed at me.”