People from all over the state, all over the country and even all over the world were in Owensboro when the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum held its grand opening Oct. 18-20.
Carly Smith, the marketing director for the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum, promised the grand opening weekend would be three days of “all things bluegrass,” and it was.
Thursday was Legends Night and took place in the new state-of-the-art Woodward Theatre, where the International Bluegrass Music Association inducted a special Hall of Fame class. Friday featured a sold-out concert by Kentucky bluegrass music maven Sam Bush. Saturday was a full day of free bluegrass music on the new outdoor stage overlooking the Ohio River. The wind blew hard and chilly, but that didn’t stop true fans from enjoying the music, food trucks and exquisite view.
The new building is modern and elegant, yet feels comfortable for the earthy nature of bluegrass music. Even the glass tile in the swanky restrooms is earth tone. A fairly small but exceedingly well-curated gift shop offers all sorts of goodies for the bluegrass fan, while the museum displays held treasures such as Uncle Pen’s fiddle. Any Bill Monroe fan understands what a golden chalice that is. And speaking of well-curated, there is also a bar that offers some pretty fine bourbon.
While Smith was excited about the grand opening, she sees it as just the beginning of great events to come. The organization plans to host weekly shows at the Woodward as well as continuing the Saturday Morning Lessons program and ROMP Fest in the summer.
O.Z. Tyler Distillery recently was added to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, and Owensboro is now considered the “Western Gateway to the Bourbon Trail.” With the recent addition of two new hotels on the riverfront and the millions the city has spent on renovating the waterfront, Owensboro is the perfect weekend getaway for those who love all things bluegrass.
Photos by Larry Stewart
