The last time we headed into a new decade, it was the beginning of a completely new millennium, and it kicked off with a bang: The Judds reunited in Phoenix; Trisha Yearwood and Kenny Rogers performed for President Clinton in Washington, D.C.; Kenny Chesney opened for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill at the arena in Nashville; and Grand Ole Opry stars Marty Stuart and Connie Smith went to church in Mississippi.

As we enter 2010, country stars are once again a big part of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Martina McBride and Diamond Rio will be on TV; Shania Twain carries the torch for the Winter Olympics; Lady Antebellum and Tim McGraw will appear at college bowl games; and Garth Brooks, Rodney Atkins and the Eli Young Band will help transition into January on stage.

Here’s how some of country’s biggest stars will add to the turning of the calendar on Thursday and Friday:
• Martina McBride continues as host of GAC’s Top 50 Videos Of 2009. The countdown started on Monday, and the No. 1 video of the year will finally be revealed New Year’s Day. Check here for the complete schedule.

• Shania Twain carries the Olympic torch during the final segment of a New Year’s Day relay in Timmins, Ontario, with a two-hour celebration slated at the city’s Hollinger Park, The Timmins Times reports. The event is part of a broader torch relay leading up to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The games kick off Feb. 12.

• Garth Brooks begins his second weekend of shows at Wynn Las Vegas on New Year’s Day. Thanks to the casino’s anti-scalping policy, some previously purchased seats have opened up, The Las Vegas Sun reports. The venue will have a stand-by line each day.

• Not surprisingly, Vegas has numerous country shows on tap. Gary Allan and Merle Haggard play the area on the final night of ’09, according to Pollstar, while Phil Vassar visits nearby Henderson the first day of ’10.

• GAC’s Storme Warren will emcee the first-ever Bash On Broadway in downtown Nashville. Rodney Atkins is on the Dec. 31 bill along with blues guitarist Jonny Lang, singer-songwriter Marc Broussard and “Change The World” songwriter Tommy Sims.

• The Eli Young Band serves as grand marshal for the Comerica Bank New Year’s Parade in Dallas, according to KDFW-TV. The prior evening, the band rings in the year with a performance at the Verizon Wireless Theater in Houston.

• EYB isn’t the only act playing Texas for the holiday. Jack Ingram appears in San Antonio Thursday and Corpus Christi Friday, Pollstar reports. Chris Young and Reckless Kelly have competing New Year’s Eve shows in Dallas; Cross Canadian Ragweed counts down to 2010 in Houston; and Austin has a pair of year-end concerts on tap — Joe Ely and Dale Watson at Antone’s while Robert Earl Keen and the Randy Rogers Band top the bill at the Austin Music Hall.

• Diamond Rio and Lee Greenwood are slated for Fox News’ “All American New Year’s Eve.”

• Tim McGraw will be on the field for the opening coin toss at the Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day, according to The St. Petersburg Times. He’ll also be on the sidelines during the game to help honor a group of Marines that will be recognized during halftime.

• Lady Antebellum sings “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day when the University of Cincinnati plays Florida.

• Richie McDonald does double duty in Jacksonville for the holiday. He’s one of the grand marshals of the Gator Bowl Parade on New Year’s Eve, and he delivers the national anthem the next day when Florida State and West Virginia hook up in the game.

• Riders In The Sky host the opening segment on the Grand Ole Opry New Year’s Day at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. The lineup for evening includes Little Jimmy Dickens, Josh Thompson, John Conlee, Jean Shepard and Exile.

• Americana acts Old Crow Medicine Show and Chuck Mead warm up the Ryman with a New Year’s Eve performance. Others playing around the country include Wayne Hancock in Kansas City New Year’s Eve, Junior Brown in K.C. New Year’s Day, Billy Dean closing out the year in Tallahassee, and Randy Houser doing a New Year’s Eve gig in Kennesaw, Ga.

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