Well, it will be a special brick if you take the The Bean Blossom Jamboree Foundationup on their offer and adopt a brick in their Memorial Brick Wall Project.

The Foundation is trying to raise sufficient funds to purchase the Bill Monroe Memorial Music Park & Campground in Bean Blossom, IN, once owned and operated by Big Mon himself. The fate of the park has been uncertain in recent years as current owner (and former Blue Grass Boy) Dwight Dillman has announced plans to sell the property.

The wall is being erected near the music stage. A brick can be personalized with 3 lines of text for $100 prior to construction, going up to $125 after the wall is up. The fee is fully tax deductible and proceeds go to the Foundation’s goal of taking over the park and Bill Monroe Museum on site.

To purchase a brick and support the The Bean Blossom Jamboree Foundationup, you may contact them by phone (877-989-BBJF),or email them from their web site. You may also download the PDF order form for a mail-in donation.

In an open letter to Friends, Donors, Supporters, and those with an interest in the Bean Blossom Jamboree Foundation Inc. (BBJF), the foundation has announced details regarding the progress that the organization has made in its mission to preserve the traditions of the Bill Monroe Music Park at Bean Blossom, Brown County, IN.

Signed by President Steve Johnson on behalf of the Board of Directors, the letter states that the Foundation has built well on the success of collecting nearly $25,000 in funds at the annual Summer Festival in June by adding another $20,000 in merchandise sales, direct donations and in-kind services by the end of the year.

Another significant success came in the form of confirmation of their receipt of the Not for Profit 501 (c) 3 status from the Internal Revenue Service.

While the Board thinks that the support has been incredible given the current economy, it is seeking further donations during 2009, hoping this year to match the total of last year’s pledges.

The full letter, which includes details about how to make a donation, can be found at the Foundation’s blog.

The BBJF mission is to preserve the music park at Bean Blossom in perpetuity and continue the Brown County Jamboree’s heritage of musical shows and the bluegrass music festivals established at Bean Blossom by the Father of Bluegrass Music, Bill Monroe.

Rich Hersberger, the Secretary of the Bean Blossom Jamboree Foundation (BBJF), has announced that the fund raising efforts to help buy the Indiana music park previously owned and managed by Bill Monroe realized nearly $5,000 during the recent Uncle Pen Days festival.

The fund raising continues with auctions on eBay and the Give An Hour scheme, where people are invited to donate what equates to an hour’s pay per week.

For an overview of Bean Blossom, the Foundation and its mission, their fund raising schemes and to read the Secretary’s report in full, visit the BBJF website.

In November last year Jim Peva gave notice of the impending sale of the Bill Monroe Memorial Park and Campground, home of the famous Bean Blossom bluegrass festivals.

More recently, he informed us of current plans. Following on from that comes news of the formation, by a group of devoted enthusiasts and industry folks, of the Bean Blossom Brown County Jamboree Preservation Foundation Inc. in a continued effort to ensure that the Bill Monroe Memorial Park and Campground continues to be the “Mecca of Bluegrass” for generations to come.

In an expression of his support for the Bean Blossom Jamboree Foundation (BBJF), park owner Dwight Dillman, a former banjo player with the Blue Grass Boys, recently removed the For Sale sign posted at the entrance to the park. Although not part of the Board of Directors or the Advisory Committee, Dillman endorses the Foundation’s plan to purchase and operate the park in accordance with its rich history and traditions.

The mission of the foundation is to establish a permanent music park and education center on the hallowed grounds where, Bean Blossom, the longest continuously-running bluegrass festival began in June 1967. Before Bill Monroe purchased the site, in 1951, it was home to the Brown County Jamboree that was held in the Brown County Jamboree Barn, which was officially opened in 1943.

The Bean Blossom Brown County Jamboree Preservation Foundation will have an information booth set up at all the events that take place at Bean Blossom including Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival (June 14-21), Bean Blossom Gospel Jubilee (July 30 – August 2), Uncle Pen Days (September 24-27) and Hillbilly Wagon Train Jam (October 2-4). The Foundation will also be at ROMP (June 26-28) in Owensboro, Kentucky.

BBJF Director Tom Adler said …….

“Our mission is to preserve the music park at Bean Blossom in perpetuity and continue the Brown County Jamboree’s heritage of musical shows and the bluegrass music festivals established at Bean Blossom by the Father of Bluegrass Music, Bill Monroe. The vision of the Foundation is a permanent music park and educational center, grounded in the history of the musical events at Bean Blossom.

If you are one of the many bluegrass fans with ‘Bean Blossom Memories’ of your own, and would like to see the history and traditions associated with the site of the world’s longest continuously-running bluegrass festival preserved for generations to come, you can play a key role!”

Tom clarified that role: (more…)