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Greetings from the BB King Museum Director

Fall is finally here, and at the B.B. King Museum, that means school tours are in abundance!

In October, we welcomed over 200 students from Jackson, Greenville, Lake Village, Arkansas, and even Ghana to the B.B. King Museum for school tours and music workshops. A visit to the B.B. King Museum is not like your typical field trip. Students enjoy an interactive tour led by a trained Museum docent and a music workshop with one of our local bluesmen. Not only do students learn more about one of Mississippi's greatest ambassadors, B.B. King, but they also learn the history of the Mississippi Delta, the Civil Rights Movement, and American music. Students have a blast at the B.B. King Museum. They have even commented that the B.B. King Museum is "da bomb!"

At the B.B. King Museum, we are committed to education. It's at the very heart of our mission - to empower, unite and heal through arts, music and education and to share with the world the rich cultural heritage of the Mississippi Delta. School tours are just one way we are impacting the lives of young people who come to visit from all over the world. Our amazing corps of volunteers, docents, local artists, and sponsors play a crucial role in helping us fulfill our mission. We would particularly like to thank Chevron for sponsoring a trip to the B.B. King Museum for the senior class of Greenville Christian School. If you are interested in scheduling a school tour for your class or sponsoring a school tour, please contact Dr. Dina Bennett at dbennett@bbkingmuseum.org.

With the fall season also comes the Mississippi Delta Blues Society's annual Blues Challenge held every year at a local venue in Indianola. I've heard about this event, so I was anxious to see the Challenge first hand. To say the least, I wasn't let down. What an experience and I invite all to make next year's event here in the great town of Indianola. This Challenge was hosted by two different venues in Indianola - da' House of Khafre and the Blue Biscuit. Turnout was great. Thanks to both for putting on a great show! The locals and our out-of-town visitors enjoyed two days of authentic Delta Blues performed by artists from all across the region. Also, our own Dina Bennett served as a judge for the challenge. This year's Challenge winners will represent the Mississippi Delta in the annual International Blues Competition in January.

The B.B. King Museum hosted several events this month. For instance, Debra Haygood rented our fabulous Gin for a 90th Birthday celebration for her grandmother, Mrs. Linnie L. White. Congratulations and many happy returns to you, Mrs. White. We were also honored to welcome the Mississippi Delta Strategic Compact board for a reception the night before their annual meeting, and the MS Center for Justice board, staff and guests for a meeting and lunch as they announced the planned opening of a new office in Indianola. We'd love to help you with your event or meeting. We have great spaces well equipped to accommodate various size groups and all types of events.

Of course, we can't send our monthly update without bragging on the Indianola community. Over 90 international tourists visited the B.B. King Museum this month and enjoyed the unbeatable cuisine and hospitality from local restaurants including The Blue Biscuit
and The Crown. When the Museum opened in 2008, we often exclaimed, "The world is coming to Indianola!" Well, that remains true today, except this time, the world is coming back and bringing friends and family along for the fun! Thank you, Indianola, for welcoming our visitors from across the U.S. and all over the world with open arms. The response is reflected in our guest book:

"2nd visit - Enjoyed just as much as 2nd time around. Excellent!!" Wales, U.K.

"I loved the interactive screens to see who influenced who, and hear the songs too! Nice work."
Belgium, EU

"Superb execution of a powerful subject" Los Angeles, CA

"The best museum by a mile...better than Memphis and Nashville" UK

"It makes you smile walking through the museum" Hattiesburg, MS

October also brought honors for a few of our community partners. We congratulate Bill McPherson, President of our Board of Directors, for being chosen as the 2011 recipient of the Mississippi Delta Strategic Compact Chairman's Award. Selected by the Chairman of the Board, the award is presented on behalf of the Compact "to an individual or organization whose contributions to the Delta Region are exceptional, having long range, immeasurable, and continuous impact." Bill Mc, as he's known around here, was recognized "for his efforts in developing the B.B. King Museum in Indianola, MS." The Mississippi Delta Strategic Compact was created by the legislature to bring the Delta counties together to work creatively for progressive change. We're so pleased they included the Museum in both their honors and their celebration.

Also, the South Delta Planning and Development District, based in Greenville, received a 2011 Innovation Award from the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) Research Foundation for the District office's work in securing funding for the B. B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center. NADO is a Washington, DC-based association that promotes programs and policies that strengthen local governments, communities and economies through regional cooperation, program delivery and comprehensive strategies. The association's Innovation Awards program recognizes regional development organizations and partnering organizations for improving the economic and community competitiveness of our nation's regions and local communities. Award winners were showcased during NADO's 2011 Annual Training Conference held October 8-11 in Miami, Florida. NADO President Tim Ware, executive director of the Mid-East Commission in Washington, North Carolina stated, "Creative projects like the B. B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center advance the economic growth and sustainability of our nation's regions and communities."

I invite you to stop by Lucille's and shop our new merchandise. The holidays are just around the corner and there is no better place to kick off your holiday shopping. From books, CDs, and musical instruments to beautiful and unusual jewelry and scarves, our eclectic gift shop offers the perfect gifts for friends and family! And don't forget about a B.B. King Museum membership, the gift that keeps on giving! We hope to see you during the holidays. We'll be here! We will only be closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. And of course during the Winter, we're closed on Mondays.

In closing, I want to thank you all for the responses we receive on this newsletter. We'll be coming to you soon with a survey and hope you'll participate in improving our communication.

As a retired Air Force veteran, I want to say thank you to all the veterans out there who are serving and have served this wonderful country. Also, not to be forgotten are those family members who support us in our service. A happy Veteran's Day to us all.

See you soon at your Museum,

Dion Brown, Executive Director
B.B. King Museum