Kentucky Historical Society
International Bluegrass Music Museum Wins 2011 Kentucky History Award from KHS

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Nov. 22, 2011) – The Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) honored outstanding achievements in the field of Kentucky history at the 2011 Kentucky History Celebration on Nov. 11 at the Old State Capitol in downtown Frankfort.

Among this year’s winners was the International Bluegrass Music Museum, recipient of the Class B Education Award for the “William Smith ‘Bill’ Monroe Centennial Exhibit.”

Bill Monroe, a native of Rosine in Ohio County, is recognized as the father of bluegrass music for his role in developing the genre. With bluegrass music being Kentucky’s official state music, the “Bill Monroe Centennial Exhibit” honored his memory and his many career accomplishments during the 100th anniversary of his birth. This exhibit at the Owensboro museum also educated Kentuckians about Monroe’s roots in the Green River area. The exhibit includes Monroe’s 1952 F-5 mandolin, on loan from John Carter and Laura Cash, and his 1980 mandolin, on loan from Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

The Kentucky History Awards program, presented annually by KHS, recognizes exceptional achievements in Kentucky history by individuals, business and civic leaders, communities, museums and history organizations throughout the Commonwealth. The program also honors individuals and groups that have demonstrated efforts to promote the preservation, awareness and appreciation of state and local history.
For more information about the Kentucky History Awards visit www.history.ky.gov/historyawards.

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An agency of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, the Kentucky Historical Society, established in 1836, is committed to helping people understand, cherish and share Kentucky's history. The KHS history campus includes the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, the Old State Capitol and the Kentucky Military History Museum at the State Arsenal. For more information about the Kentucky Historical Society and its programs, visit www.history.ky.gov.