$1 million for B.B. King Museum
Indianola attraction is expected to bring new jobs, tourists to Delta

BY Doreen Muzzi
DBJ Contributing Writer

Organizers raising funds for the construction of Indianola’s B.B. King Museum recently got a $1 million boost from Congress. The appropriation was part of the government’s 2005 fiscal year omnibus spending bill.

Groundbreaking on the $10 million facility is scheduled for June of 2005 during B.B. King’s annual homecoming festivities, but organizers have been hard at work for two years planning and designing the facility.

Allan Hammons, executive director of the B.B. King Museum Foundation in Indianola, says nearly 90 percent of the museum’s construction costs will be paid for through individual and corporate donations “We’ve made substantial progress in reaching our $10 million goal,” he says. “We have received several substantial contribution commitments, and we’ve raised more than $1 million in personal and business contributions from people in Indianola. They are very committed to the project, and have been generous in their support of the museum.”

In addition, Indianola’s city government deeded the 2.4-acre building site to the Museum Foundation. The land is valued at approximately $170,000.

The investment made by museum supporters will reap dividends for the entire Delta, according to Hammons.

“Before we began this project we did some serious research on the economic impact such a facility would have on the region,” he says. “The project is expected to have an annual economic impact of about $12 million on the Delta region. That’s the money expected to be expended by visitors coming in to the area during any given year, many of whom will likely travel from other countries to visit the museum. It is also projected that about 100 to 120 new jobs, principally in the hospitality industry, will be created in the area, both directly by the museum and in support of the museum.”

The B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretative Center will be located on Second Street in Indianola, Miss An existing brick cotton gin, where B.B. King once worked as a young man, will be incorporated into the facility’s design.

Hammons says the museum will chronicle B.B. King’s life, and will use his life to set examples for the Delta’s children. “Many of our education programs will be tailored specifically to those children who, in their minds, don’t have a lot of opportunity. We’re going to develop programs to give these children hope, and we’ll use B.B. King’s life as the vehicle to deliver this message,” he says.

The B.B. King Museum Foundation is also partnering with area public schools, community colleges and universities to develop educational programs, including after-school programs.

“The real name of this project is the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretative Center. It will really do a lot more than tell you B.B. King stories. We think it will make a real difference to the region’s children,” Hammons says.

Once organizers break ground on the museum in June of 2005, construction on the facility is expected to last 18 to 24 months. That puts the opening date at or before June 2007. DBJ