The Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum in Owensboro, KY has joined with Lexington-based WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour in soliciting and distributing musical instruments to those who lost everything in the tornadoes that swept through western Kentucky on December 10, 2021.
In classic American form, many people and organizations have been involved in assisting tornado survivors rebuild their homes and their lives, but this effort is specifically for students, musicians and performers in the region who lost their instruments.
Michael Jonathan, host of WoodSongs, says that the loss of music is very personal when tragedy strikes, and he launched this campaign to help where he was able.
“The instruments of those affected by the tornadoes are gone, whether it’s school bands, banjo pickers, or guitar players, and here at Woodsongs we want to help in a way that we know we can by collecting instruments from all over America and bringing them to these affected areas.”
The Bluegrass Hall will be accepting instruments for this purpose until January 21. They need not be brand new, but being in comfortable playing condition is important. If you live in or near Owensboro, you can drop them off during regular operating hours (Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5 pm, and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.). Outside of the area, they can be shipped there to:
311 West 2nd Street
Owensboro, KY 42301
Instruments of every kind are being sought, from the banjos, guitars, mandolins, and fiddles we use in bluegrass and traditional Appalachian music, to school band instruments including brass, winds, and percussion. If you don’t have an instrument to donate, you can still help by either making a cash donation to help offset delivery and distribution costs, or by ordering an instrument online or from local resellers to be shipped to the Museum, or to Woodsongs Tornado Relief directly at:
Curriers Music World/Woodsongs Tornado
292 S 2nd Street
Richmond, KY 40475
“The music of Kentucky is about community, and is vital to staying connected to our heritage and to each other,” said Chris Joslin, Executive Director of the Hall of Fame, of this campaign. “This effort will have a positive impact on the long journey ahead faced by so many of our friends and neighbors here in western Kentucky.”
There are a number of other drop off sites in Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, and other places around the US. You can see that list on the official web site for this tornado relief effort.
Checks can be sent as donations to:
WoodSongs/Tornado Relief Effort
PO Box 200
Lexington, KY 40588
To make a donation using a credit card, please call 859-255-5700 during business hours.
Both the Bluegrass Music Hall off Fame & Museum and WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour are 501©3 non-profits in the state of Kentucky. No donations made to the tornado relief will be used for any purpose other than the collection and distribution of musical instruments to those whose homes and property were affected by the tornado in December. No one involved in this campaign is being paid,. All the work is being done by volunteers.
Please help if you can.
