Back To News/PR Index | | $5 Million Boost Puts International Bluegrass Music Center on Track for 2017 Opening | Center reinforces Owensboro’s place as a music destination | The existing International Bluegrass Music Museum opened in Owensboro in 1992, and the $15 million International Bluegrass Center will expand the museum’s concept and mission. The new facility will be twice the size of the museum and will feature a 500-seat concert hall, a 2,000-seat outdoor concert area, a research library, teaching rooms and a rooftop restaurant overlooking the Ohio River. “Owensboro already delivers bluegrass music in abundance, and the new center will reinforce everything that happens here,” said Shannon Wetzel, executive director of Visit Owensboro, the convention and visitors bureau for the 98,000-population Daviess County community. “Just as country music is tied to Nashville and jazz is tied to New Orleans, bluegrass is tied to the Owensboro area,” Wetzel said. Beshear and Owensboro Mayor
Ron Payne arranged for funds from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to
be Owensboro’s contribution to a federal matching allocation supporting
riverfront development, which freed city funds to go to the International
Bluegrass Music Center project. The center already had raised $10.3 million.
Owensboro Mayor Ron Payne, left, and Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear Credit: Photo by Adam Paris / AP Imagery Bill Monroe, the father of bluegrass music, was from rural Rosine, Kentucky, in neighboring Ohio County. Owensboro is the biggest city in the region where Monroe created the “high lonesome sound” and instrument-heavy foundations of bluegrass. “Bluegrass music is popular around the world, and dedicated fans know the importance of this part of Kentucky. The International Bluegrass Music Center will compound that reputation,” Wetzel said. The current museum houses
the International Bluegrass Music Association Hall of Fame and occupies
space in RiverPark Center, a regional arts and events center.
Jamming at the International Bluegrass Music Museum Credit: Photo by Beck Glenn / Visit Owensboro Today’s visitors to Owensboro already have numerous opportunities to enjoy bluegrass music. They include:
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