• International Bluegrass Music Museum Groudbreaking Ceremony Set

    Ground Breaking for New Bluegrass Music Museum and Hall of Fame set for Thursday June 23 at Noon.

    Owensboro, Ky. — Together with the City of Owensboro, Mayor Ron Payne, the Daviess County Fiscal Court and Judge Executive Al Mattingly, the International Bluegrass Music Museum and Hall of Fame is set to break ground on a new $15.4 million facility Thursday June 23 at Noon at 311 West 2nd Street, Owensboro.

    This fully funded project is a collaboration between the City of Owensboro, the State of Kentucky and the IBMM.

    "Not only is this a good thing for Owensboro, but the new and expanded Museum and Hall of Fame is good for the State of Kentucky," said IBMM Executive Director, Chris Joslin "from a tourism standpoint, this is a Kentucky project."

    This $15.4 million project will allow IBMM to house the world's foremost collection of bluegrass artifacts, memorabilia, and music recordings in a safe environment for generations to come.

    With views of the Ohio River, the new Bluegrass Museum and Hall of Fame will be the focal point of the city of Owensboro. It will be the only full-scale Bluegrass Music Museum in the world, including a 450 seat concert hall, recording studio, an outdoor concert area to seat 2,000, an expansive gift shop, research library, teaching rooms and a rooftop restaurant overlooking downtown.

    Peyronnin Construction of Evansville was awarded the construction contract to build the new Bluegrass Museum and Hall of Fame; completion is estimated to be the spring of 2018.

    The property comprises an entire city block at the heart of the newly revitalized downtown area, and is adjacent to the Owensboro Convention Center, two new hotels, and the world-renowned $64 million waterfront park.

    Bluegrass music is a treasured art form performed in dozens of countries around the world, and the IBMM works daily to preserve this rich and vibrant history through its archival and educational programs.

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