Bluegrass Music Capital of the World?

Sep. 19—There are no signs at the city limits that proclaim that Owensboro is the "Bluegrass Music Capital of the World."

But what's now the Owensboro-Daviess County Convention & Visitors Bureau has been working since 1985 to make that dream become reality.

And last week, thousands of bluegrass fans from at least 32 states descended on Owensboro for the 18th annual ROMP Fest at Yellow Creek Park — despite the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

Several publications in recent years have referred to Owensboro as the bluegrass capital.

ConventionSouth magazine named Owensboro its "Small Market of the Month" for August.

The article said, "Known as the bluegrass capital of the world, Owensboro is a live music fan's dream. Pair that with some Green River Distilling Co. bourbon and some hickory-smoked BBQ, and you've got yourself a heck of a good time."

Rolling Stone magazine said there are seven "Must-Visit Places Country Music Fans Should Flock to Now."

And Owensboro is one of them.

The article this summer said, "What this western Kentucky town lacks in fame, it makes up for in music. As the home of the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum, it's the ideal place to dig into country music's roots.

Mark Calitri, president of the CVB, said, "Owensboro's notoriety as a bluegrass music staple has grown significantly in recent years. Rolling Stone magazine highlighted Owensboro for its Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum, calling it a "signature attraction," as well as the city's close proximity to Nashville, the world's country music capital. Now is the time to take advantage of this national recognition."

The magazine article earlier this year said, "You can tour Owensboro as a day trip from Nashville if time is short, but spending the weekend lets you stay for the Friday After 5 concert series."

In 2018, Brand USA selected Owensboro as one of its Top 10 American music cities.

'Pivotal moment'Calitri said the city is at "a pivotal moment in its path to, potentially, even greater success."

He said, "With another downtown hotel on the way, our successful path forward must continue to be an aggressive approach to attracting hotel-staying groups, which generate the greatest economic impact for all our tourism partners. Successful communities are focused on attracting our most profitable, ideal customers."

To reach that goal, Calitri said Owensboroans must "do more than simply believe or accept that they live in the Bluegrass Music Capital of the World. The residents of Owensboro must learn to appreciate that title and, for even greater long-term success, they must learn to lean into it."

When Chris Joslin, executive director of the Hall of Fame, came to Owensboro in 2015, one of the first things he said was, "Our goal is to make Owensboro the bluegrass music capital of the world. It's already becoming a destination city. There's a lot of energy on the riverfront. We want to capitalize on the bluegrass and barbecue theme."

Last week, he said, he hopes to help the city become a "must-visit" destination.

"This all feels like fuel for the economic engine of cultural tourism," he said. "If I could use only one word to describe the Hall of Fame and Owensboro currently, it would be 'momentum.' The time has come to capitalize on that momentum."

Joslin said, "Owensboro is being named in the same breath as some of the most visited towns in the country. Fifteen million people visit Nashville every year, and music is the primary driver. Can you imagine the economic impact if just a fraction of those visitors decided to make a trip to the Bluegrass Music Capital of the World as part of their music adventure? It's an economic game-changer."

More music needed

Calitri said more bluegrass music is needed year-round

One of the keys to long-term success, he said, is "consistent, year-long music programming and more concerts being held."

Calitri also said Owensboro could capitalize on its success by holding "more signature bluegrass-themed events in 2022, including bluegrass-themed car shows and music competitions."

With Andy Brasher's Lil' Nashville, a bar with regular performances by country and bluegrass musicians, set to open downtown this fall, the city will have another venue where bluegrass musicians can play, he said.

ROMP is over this year, but Calitri said, "No one should be tapping the brakes. Everyone should be revving the engine, coming up with ideas to keep the momentum going."

In March, the Hall of Fame brought the 47th Official Kentucky State Fiddle Championship to town, with plans to make it an annual event.

"We have already built a name for ourselves, and we're on a train that's moving forward," Calitri said. "We're seeing big artists perform here — not just at ROMP, but regularly at the bluegrass museum. We want to encourage a bigger portion of the community to embrace the asset we have. It creates a huge economic impact, bringing more people to our town to support our small businesses, restaurants and overall economic growth."

Last year, when ROMP was canceled for the year, Joslin said the festival accounts for about 15% of the Hall of Fame's operating budget.

$1 million-plus impact

It also pumps somewhere between $1.6 million and $2.2 million into the local economy each year, he said.

That includes about $150,000 worth of goods and services that the Hall of Fame buys from local vendors.

"ROMP is an economic engine for the area," Joslin said.

Last November, Andrew Davis, a national consultant, spoke to the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce.

He advised community leaders to find a "flag" that they could rally around to promote the community.

Cities that boast that they are the capital of the world for something fare better economically than those that don't, he said.

Someone asked him what flag he would recommend.

Davis said he couldn't imagine anything but bluegrass.

Almost a year later, community leaders haven't acted on creating a brand — a flag — for Owensboro.

But the CVB has taken the idea and run with it.

Since 1985

On Sept. 10, 1985, what's now the CVB announced an ambitious plan to make the community synonymous with bluegrass.

Terry Woodward, who was then board chairman, said local officials had been working behind the scenes for two years with bluegrass professionals in several states to create a trade association.

That was the first step in the commission's agenda, which included headquartering the association in Owensboro, creating a local bluegrass festival, a trade show, a national awards show and a bluegrass hall of fame.

Pretty ambitious, people said.

After all, "bluegrass" wasn't exactly a household word in Owensboro.

But Bill Monroe, "the father of bluegrass music," was born and raised in Rosine, just down the road in Ohio County.

And Owensboro was the logical choice to be the bluegrass capital of the world, the board members said.

On Sept. 20-22, 1985, the city's first bluegrass festival — "Bluegrass With Class" — drew more than 8,000 people from seven states to a free event in English Park.

On Oct. 16, 1985, the International Bluegrass Music Association was formed in Nashville by the tourist commission and 56 other organizations.

Four months later, it moved to Owensboro.

In 1987, the IBMA took over the festival, calling it Fan Fest.

And it drew fans from as far away as Sweden, South Korea and Canada.

The first IBMA trade show in September 1987 drew 350 people and 34 exhibitors.

In September 1990, Vince Gill and John McEuen hosted the IBMA's first awards show in the Showroom Lounge of the Executive Inn Rivermont.

And in September 1992, the tourist commission's final goal was achieved with the opening of a preview version of the bluegrass museum in the new RiverPark Center complex.

By 1996, IBMA's Homecoming Week was drawing nearly 10,000 people from 48 states and more than a dozen countries.

The economic impact of IBMA week was pegged at $2.5 million.

But there were complaints that the event was outgrowing Owensboro.

IBMA moved

So, in 1997, citing problems at the Executive Inn, the IBMA moved Fan Fest to Louisville.

And in 2003, the organization moved its headquarters back to Nashville.

"We were a victim of our success," Woodward said then. "When they left, it was kinda sad. But the museum is still here."

And ROMP, which the museum created, has become bigger than Fan Fest ever was.

In recent years, it has drawn more than 27,000 fans from around the world.

In 2012, ROMP was named "event of the year" by the IBMA and, in 2015, the Hall of Fame received the IBMA's Distinguished Achievement Award.

The Hall of Fame drew 35,329 people from 47 states and 15 other countries in its first year of operations before COVID-19 hit.

They came from Australia, Netherlands, France, Canada, England, South Africa, Germany, Brazil, Ecuador, Belgium, Austria, Ireland, Israel, Switzerland and New Caledonia to visit the $15.3 million facility.

'Future is bigger'

Joslin said the future is "bigger than an anchor event like ROMP. We have to attract more bluegrass-related businesses. How do we create the right environment to attract instrument builders and retailers?"

The Hall of Fame has taken over publication of Bluegrass Unlimited, the genre's most successful magazine.

Joslin said the Hall has "the capability of helping emerging artists record and make videos. There are all sorts of opportunities. We can use the Hall of Fame as a destination and build around it. But we have to get more business leaders involved."

He said, "The Hall of Fame is going to play on a national and international level. I would love it if the town takes this to heart."

Joslin said the community might look into an artist relocation program like Paducah's.

Without bluegrass, the RiverPark Center might not have been built.

When the Kentucky General Assembly appropriated $4.5 million to help build the performing arts center in 1988, much of the legislative support hinged on the fact that the complex would include a bluegrass museum.

This summer, the Hall of Fame created a 13-episode television series, "My Bluegrass Story," which is scheduled to begin airing on RFD-TV in November.

Joslin said the 30-minute shows will serve as a marketing tool for both the Hall of Fame and the community.

He said he expects the new series to bring more people to Owensboro to visit the Hall of Fame and to attend ROMP in the future.

The episodes will also be available for streaming at any time after they appear on the network, Joslin said.

Keith Lawrence 270-691-7301, klawrence@messenger-inquirer.com