Birthplace of Country Music Alliance Board President Fred McClellan makes adjustment to the organization's wall at its new offices.

Officials from the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance announced that they have begun their transition to their permanent downtown physical location with the opening of an administrative office at 510 Cumberland Street, Suite 103, Bristol, Virginia.

“As we continue to grow and expand, we need more space for our administrative activities,” noted Bill Hartley, Executive Director of the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance. Hartley noted that the organization selected the location based upon its proximity to the future site of the Birthplace of Country Music Cultural Heritage Center. “This space will give us additional office space and meeting space, as well as provides us with a convenient location when we start the construction phase of our building project.”

The artifacts and memorabilia that are currently on display at the museum location in the Bristol Mall will stay there during the transition. “We would like to thank James Bryant for his commitment to keeping those items on view for the public,” commented Fred McClellan, President of the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance. This arrangement will help to ensure the safe-keeping and care of the organization's items and artifacts until a proper disposition of said objects can be made, as well as a determination of which items will be included in the new cultural heritage center, McClellan added.

“Moving our offices downtown has already produced a number of partnerships which we hope to continue,” noted Hartley. The organization has participated with the Bristol Public Library, Paramount Center for the Arts, and YWCA to produce programming and activities for the community. Hartley noted that the YWCA received a National Racial Justice Award for their partnership activities in community, which included a performance and educational activities by African-American fiddler Joe Thompson.

“In addition to our programming, we have also been developing our plan for the new Birthplace of Country Music Cultural Heritage Center,” noted McClellan. “Since we announced our conceptual plan, we have been trying to gain feedback from the community and answer their questions.”

In September 2005, the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance unveiled its conceptual plan for the museum, including schematic drawings, artist renderings, a walkthrough of the exhibits, and component studies. The new facility will include temporary and permanent exhibits that trace the history, cultural influences, and development of country music through a sequence of audio-visual experiences which will allow visitors the opportunity to listen to the melodies and encounter the rich musical tradition first hand. The Birthplace of Country Music Alliance also announced that according to a recent economic impact study produced by the University of Virginia's Weldon Cooper Center, over a five year period, the new Birthplace of Country Music Cultural Heritage Center will, at a minimum, have an economic impact of over $43,232,806 to the region and generate $1,041,253 in direct tax revenue that will flow into local and state coffers.

Recently, with funding from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, a group of nationally recognized scholars in Appalachian music and culture have begun a review of the interpretive plan. “We are excited to have a group with this level of expertise assist us in the process,” noted Hartley. The group of scholars will assist in developing the themes and content for the exhibits in the new facility.

The Birthplace of Country Music Alliance also conducted a feasibility study of the community in advance of a capital campaign for the cultural heritage center. “The report showed that the community views this project and subject matter favorably,” noted McClellan. McClellan added that the organization is currently working on implementing many of the recommendations in the report, such as the creation of an advisory council, before beginning the silent phase of a capital campaign. “The report indicated that we could raise approximately $2.5 million within eight to ten months. This would help provide the funding the complete the planning and begin the physical renovation of the building.”

“While we hope to begin the silent phase of the campaign in the fall, we have begun some of our fundraising efforts,” McClellan noted. Currently the organization has received a commitment of $125,000 from a local foundation that requires a match from local sources. Additionally, a $600,000 appropriation from the Commonwealth of Virginia is included in the budget currently awaiting Governor Kaine’s signature. “We appreciate the support that has been give thus far, particularly at the state level. We will continue to try and build support throughout the community for this project to not only match these challenges, but help get the project off the ground,” McClellan commented.

“While we continue to develop our new facility, we will also take advantage of opportunities to increase visibility for our region and its musically legacy,” noted McClellan. He pointed to the recent partnership with downtown organizations, the upcoming broadcasts of Mountain Stage which will be taped in Bristol, as well as some innovative programming the organization is developing utilizing its website. “We will continue to follow our mission, to build support in the community for that mission, and to utilize that mission to benefit the community through economic development.”

The Birthplace of Country Music Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to telling the story of the living musical heritage of the Appalachian mountains and the cultural traditions that sustain it. The BCMA is funded in part by grants from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the Tennessee Arts Commission. For more information, call (276) 645-0111.

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