History's harmonies

Volunters install pieces of the traveling Smithsonian exhibit, "New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music," to open Tuesday at the Bushwhacker Museum in Nevada. Left to right, Don McQueen, Gary Headley and Tom Runyan adjust panels. The exhibit highlights various types of American roots music grown out of older folk traditions

"Turn the radio on, and listen to the music." That old-time radio tune now part of American "roots music" is the kind of toe-tappin', memory-joggin' music you'll learn about at the Bushwhacker Museum's new Smithsonian exhibit which opens Tuesday.

The long-awaited traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., called "New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music," Is now in place, thanks to Vernon County Historical Society volunteers who set up the weighty photographic kiosks last week at the museum.

The panels arrived in crates which had to be opened, unloaded and set up according to specific layouts to form a kind of maze for visitors to walk through. Each kiosk portrays a specific kind of "roots" music such as gospel, folk, blues, patriotic and popular, and some of them are interactive.

Those are the kinds of "roots" music that have grown out of older folk traditions, both sacred and secular, portrayed in the exhibit.

In support of "Roots," a series of six live local musical programs have been arranged for during the exhibit's stay at the Bushwhacker Museum, with the last program slated for Nov. 19. They'll be presented at the Franklin P. Norman City/County Community Center, Fox Theatre and Cottey College Recital Hall. The first is set for Oct. 3. "Terrible Songs --Missouri Tragedies Set to Music," at 2 p.m., at the Franklin P. Norman City/County Community Center.

Judy Domeny "Bowen's features four songs of Missouri events including the West Plains explosion,

the Iron Mountain Bay, the Meeks Family Murder and Resurrection Sunday.

"We are extremely proud to have the exhibit in Nevada," said Ramsey, who has spent many hours on the project. Just a handful of communities have been selected to show it.

Not only has space been made for the exhibit in the Bushwhacker's main exhibit area, but museum docents have been specially trained to guide visitors through it.

The museum is open from 10 a. m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, now through Nov. 7, with no admission fee. Special tours can be arranged by calling Ramsey at (417) 667-9602 or (417) 684-0085.

"New Harmonies" is part of the Museum on Main Street project organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.

In Nevada, both the exhibition and supporting programs are free to the public through grants from the Missouri Arts Council, Missouri Humanities Council and the Finis M. Moss Charitable Trust. Nevertheless, donations for future programming are welcome.