American Banjo Museum Grand Opening-Sept. 10th-13th

[douglas back]

Save the date! September 10th-13th-Grand Opening of the American Banjo Museum

Hello list members, I wanted to let you know about the gala grand opening celebration of the American Banjo Museum which will be taking place in the Bricktown arts and entertainment district of downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on September 10th-13th.

As the nearly three year, $3.3 million dollar project approaches completion, the music and heritage of the banjo will soon be on display for the general public. The Museum promises to be impressive, and will open in a three floor, 21,000 sq. ft. facility located at 9 E. Sheridan St. in Oklahoma City. It will feature state of the art exhibitory and present every chapter of the banjo’s story, from its humble roots in American slavery, through the minstrel and classic periods, continuing through the jazz age four-string banjo era up to its most recent identities in Bluegrass and international folk music. The Museum will also contain a gift shop, a coffee/snack bar, a Shakey’s pizza room that will be able to be converted into a 160 seat concert hall complete with stage area and a state of the art sound and recording system, a large research and archival room, a Four-String Banjo Hall of Fame room, etc.

All events during the grand opening weekend are open and free to the public. In addition to the Museum itself, the four days of the grand opening weekend will be highlighted by many musical performances from visiting musicians and celebrities. A limited number of performance opportunities are available during the grand opening weekend. Banjo players or groups wishing to participate must request to be scheduled as soon as possible. For out of town guests, there are several fine hotels all within walking distance of the Museum. For more information regarding the grand opening of the American Banjo Museum, call 405-260-1323 or visit: www.banjomuseum.org.

Hope to see you there!

Doug Back
Assistant Director
American Banjo Museum

[Trapdoor2]

Hmmm...12hr drive from Huntsville. I'd love to go...not going to happen this year though. Will have to put a visit on the calendar for next year.

[Russ Chandler]

The website says it's all about the four string instrument - "The mission of the American Banjo Museum is to
preserve and promote the four-string banjo while expanding appreciation and understanding of its history and music."

Wassup with that?

[douglas back]

Hi Russ,

We have not as of yet updated our website. The museum was actually established in 1998 as the National Four -String Hall of Fame Museum in Guthrie, OK. Acquisition of more instruments caused the board of directors to begin looking for a new site three years ago and it was decided that Oklahoma City would be the best place to establish a new museum. The new museum will continue to have the four string banjo (nearly 300 high end 4-string banjos in our collection) as the museum centerpiece but will be devoted to the entire history and different styles of the banjo. We are currently developing our collection of classic banjos and other banjos and that will be ongoing.

[Russ Chandler]

That's fantastic, Doug.

Oklahoma is a bit of a jaunt from East London but one way or the other I am going to get to that museum.