(This article first appeared in the August print edition of the Hendersonian.)
This is the month in 42420 to focus on Bluegrass music.
The Bluegrass in the Park Folklife Festival was held Aug. 8-9 in Audubon Mill Park.
But when the notes of the final refrain fade away, if you’re still thirsting for more music and an opportunity to explore the history, the personalities, influences and interesting stories about the genre, you’re in luck.
Just over the way, in neighboring Owensboro, there’s a wealth of information to help you continue your enjoyment—and education—at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum in the heart of Owensboro’s downtown.
The museum is a treasure trove of interactive exhibits that include short films and recordings about famous players and pioneers such as Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, Jimmy Martin and many others.
There’s an exhibit that explores the creative sources that shaped Bluegrass music, including gospel, jazz and blues.
There are costumes, posters and items that have been part of key moments in Bluegrass music history.
You can learn about the fan culture of the music, including outdoor festivals with camp-out traditions and parking lot jams. You can learn about the places where Bluegrass music wiggled its way into pop culture and made its own impact on music styles that bubbled up in the 1950s and 1960s.
Frequently the museum offers live demonstrations of the various instruments that are distinct in the genre. And often there are concerts in the museum’s 447-seat performance hall designed specifically for acoustic music–Woodward Theatre–which also conducts music camps for children and lessons on instruments and in clogging. It has the flexibility to become an outdoor stage.
The third floor has an events space with a balcony that overlooks the Ohio River.
In all there are 64,000 square feet of exhibits and venues on three floors, one of which displays the plaques honoring those who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame starting with the first class in 1991 comprised of Bill Monroe, Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt.
The International Bluegrass Music Association was founded in Owensboro, Kentucky in 1986. While the IBMA relocated to Nashville several years ago, Owensboro has been the home of the Hall of Fame since 1991.
At first it was housed in a building near the city’s performing arts center, the RiverPark Center, but in 2018 the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum opened the new $15 million facility that we know today.
As to why this museum is in Owensboro, when you visit you are just 45 minutes from the homeplace of Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass. Rosine, Kentucky, is where Bill Monroe grew up and where Bill, his siblings, his parents, and his greatest musical influence, Uncle Pen Vandiver are buried in the Rosine Cemetery.
Located just two miles west of Rosine is Jerusalem Ridge, site of the Monroe Homeplace. The home has been fully restored and is open to the public daily for guided tours.
If you go …
The Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum is located at 311. W. Second St. in downtown Owensboro.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 1-5 p.m. on Sundays. (Closed on Mondays)
Admission: Adults, $14; Seniors/Active Military, $12; Students (6-18), $12; Children 5 and younger, Free. An audio guide is included with admission.
