Museum of Appalachia exhibit focuses on area’s music and radio heritage
The Museum of Appalachia sits along Andersonville Highway in Norris, and offers a glimpse into life in Southern Appalachia over the years. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
For opening day, Anderson County residents will be admitted to the museum at half the regular price, the museum announced. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“The exhibit brings to life one of the region’s most beloved radio variety shows, the ‘Mid-Day Merry-Go-Round,’ which aired from 1936 to 1961 on WNOX, East Tennessee’s first radio station,” the museum’s announcement said.
At the heart of the exhibit is archived audio from a once-lost 1938 Mid-Day Merry-Go-Round program, which is the only early recording of the program known to exist today.
The Mid-Day Merry-Go-Round “captivated Southern Appalachia with a blend of hillbilly music, gospel, comedy acts, and even jazz, capturing the voices and sounds of a bygone era,” the museum said.
“This exhibit offers an immersive journey into East Tennessee’s musical past, a time when families would gather around the radio to listen to homegrown talent that helped define Appalachian music,” said museum President Lindsey Gallaher.
The purpose of the exhibit is not only to preserve, but also “rekindle appreciation for the region’s cultural soundscape and its contribution to Appalachian roots music,” the announcement said.
It was made possible by a grant from the Norris Area Community Foundation.
Exhibit audio was provided by the Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound, along with Bradley Reeves of Smoky Mountain Radio and Archives.
The Museum of Appalachia, a Smithsonian affiliate, is on Andersonville Highway about two miles east of Interstate 75, Exit 122.
Regular admission to the museum is $20 for adults (18 and up); $18 for people 65 or older, military or first-responders; and $10 for ages 6-17. A family pass is $50, which includes two adults and up to six children.
Kids under 6 are free with a parent.
Museum members are admitted free.
