MOUNT VERNON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Across the Commonwealth, nowhere is music as intertwined with the community as in Rockcastle County.
With Renfro Valley Entertainment Center and the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and Museum side by side, locals and travelers alike can enjoy and learn about the state’s robust music scene.
“We got so much talent, it is just bustin' at the seams,” said Jessica Blankenship, executive director at the Hall of Fame.
While Renfro Valley and the Hall of Fame are connected, they’re separately owned.
Winding through the exhibits inside the Music Hall of Fame, Blankenship explained the importance of having an establishment solely dedicated to learning.
Exhibits highlight Kentucky staples like Loretta Lynn, Bill Monroe, and The Judds. According to Blankenship, there’s much more to the Commonwealth’s music scene.
“A lot of people forget about the rock and roll side of things or pop music such as the Backstreet Boys, Cage the Elephant, My Morning Jacket, TD Young, who's got his own club there in Lexington. You've got legends such as the Everly Brothers, Merle Travis, JD Crowe, I could go on and on for days,” said Blankenship.
It’s all that musical influence needing to be highlighted that led two women to Mt. Vernon.
“In 2002 Loretta Lynn as well as Judy Patton, Governor Patton's wife, helped fundraise with the board of directors to acquire items to the museum as well as to renovate it,” explained Blankenship.
A renovation of the barn was necessary, seeing as the facility was once the original riding stables of John Lair, founder of Renfro Valley Entertainment Center.
The 1940s barn is now the setting of something Mt. Vernon and Kentucky can be proud of.
"The Hall of Fame could have been anywhere in the state of Kentucky. For it to come to such a small community right off of I-75, it has made a major impact," said Blankenship.
Today, the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and Museum hosts concerts, voice lessons, songwriting workshops and more. Leaders like Blankenship hope the Hall of Fame inspires the next generation of Kentucky trailblazers.
“Teaching the kids about music really helps with our future,” said Blankenship. “When they see somebody, whether it's Loretta Lynn or Merle Travis, you see a piece of history here, and hopefully someday, someone that's walked through that door and visited, they're gonna have a case in here as well.”
Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and Museum is open to visitors daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. year-round. The facility is closed on New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.
