005 NEWLY CREATED EXHIBIT HONORS LIFE, LEGACY OF UNCLE DAVE MACON

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 13, 2007
CONTACT: Melissa A. Zimmerman, (615) 217-8013 or mzimmerm@mtsu.edu

NEWLY CREATED EXHIBIT HONORS LIFE, LEGACY OF UNCLE DAVE MACON
Local Heritage Center Honors Old-Time Music Festival, County History Via Displays

(MURFREESBORO)—With a focus on paying tribute to the beloved old-time music festival known as Uncle Dave Macon Days, the staff of The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County recently unveiled an exhibit titled “Uncle Dave Macon Days: Celebrating Old Time Music in Rutherford County.”
Melissa A. Zimmerman, heritage programming specialist with MTSU’s Center for Historic Preservation, said the two-panel display offers viewers a bit of history, photographs and quotes from the earliest years of the festival to the present day.
Now in its 13th year, the annual music celebration, which is held in Murfreesboro’s Cannonsburgh Pioneer Village, is an ideal place to take in photographs of favorite contestants and Heritage Award winners, said Zimmerman, who adds the city’s public square is as well.
Located at 225 W. College St., the history-laden center also features photographs of Uncle Dave and his home as part of its newly opened display, “Entering the Modern Era: Murfreesboro’s Jazz Age.”
Zimmerman said the “Uncle Dave Macon Days: Celebrating Old Time Music in Rutherford County” exhibit, which is on display now through the end of August, was created to honor Macon’s music legacy and Murfreesboro’s historic past.
“In the words of Uncle Dave, ‘A man who can’t enjoy music has no heart and very little soul,’” Zimmerman noted.
In addition to the timely Uncle Dave Macon exhibit and “Entering the Modern Era: Murfreesboro’s Jazz Age,” the center also currently features exhibits titled “The Occupied City From the Nation’s Capital to Neighborhood Classrooms: Rutherford County Women, Past and Present” and “Community Building Blocks: Downtown Murfreesboro’s Historic Architecture.”
Open 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. each Monday through Friday, admission to the center is always free. Additionally, staff members also offer guided walking tours of the town square on the hour, with group tours available Monday through Saturday by advance reservation.
• For more information on these exhibits, as well as visitors’ information on area sites and cultural events, programming and tours, please The Heritage Center directly at (615) 217-8013.

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***ATTENTION, MEDIA: Please direct any inquires for jpegs for editorial use to The Heritage Center’s staff by calling (615) 217-8013 or e-mailing mzimmerm@mtsu.edu