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Construction Begins on International Bluegrass Music Center in Owensboro

International Bluegrass Music Center

A new home for the International Bluegrass Music Museum and Hall of Fame in Owensboro is one step closer to reality.

A groundbreaking for the facility is being held on Thursday, June 23.

The new 50,000-square-foot building will have more space for bluegrass luminaries honored in the Hall of Fame, as well as lots of other activities.

"It  will encompass expanded museum exhibit space, " said Museum Executive Director Chris Joslin. "It will also have a 450-sea performance venue, as well as a rooftop restaurant and an outdoor performance venue that can accommodate 1,500 to 2,000 folks."

The $15.4 milion music center is being built with a combination of city, state and private funding. Construction is scheduled to be finished by spring 2018.

The new International Bluegrass Music Center is expected to be a popular destination for visitors to the state.

“Bluegrass is really Kentucky’s artistic gift to the world. So although this bluegrass museum will be located in Owensboro, it’s really something to be celebrated statewide," said Joslin. "It’s not just an Owensboro project. It's really a Kentucky project."

Joslin said the groundbreaking will take place as the city’s ROMP festival begins, adding to the energy of Owensboro as a vibrant center for music.  

Rhonda Miller began as reporter and host for All Things Considered on WKU Public Radio in 2015. She has worked as Gulf Coast reporter for Mississippi Public Broadcasting, where she won Associated Press, Edward R. Murrow and Green Eyeshade awards for stories on dead sea turtles, health and legal issues arising from the 2010 BP oil spill and homeless veterans.
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