Barksdales Issue $2.5 Million Challenge to B.B. King Museum

For Immediate Release
Posted January 23, 2007

Indianola, MS – 15 January, 2007–Bill McPherson, President of the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, announced today that Jim and Donna Barksdale have issued a $2.5 million challenge grant for the Museum that will be located in Indianola, Mississippi.

"Jim and Donna Barksdale have given us a chance to make our dream come true," said McPherson. "You can't say enough about the Barksdale's commitment to Mississippi and now to the B.B. King Museum. They have made our job much easier and all but ensured that we can complete this new museum that will serve not only to honor B.B. King, but also as a catalyst for racial reconcilliation, educational opportunity and economic development through cultural heritage tourism. Our area is one of the poorest regions in the nation and this will be a big help. We just need to get to work and raise the matching money."

Connie Gibbons, Executive Director of the B.B. King Museum, said, "I am confident that individual and corporate donors will come forward to help us match this generous challenge. You don't get many opportunities like this, and I can assure you that our Fundraising Steering Committee is ready to get the job done."

Many individuals and corporations have already pledged more that $11 million to the Museum. According to McPherson, "We wouldn't be where we are today without the support of people from around the nation. I am especially pleased about the $1.5 million in lead gifts from our hometown. It gave other potential donors from distant locations the security that we had made a serious commitment to this project at the local level. We have also been blessed by very generous financial support from all levels of government."

The B.B. King Museum is a $13-million project that will be located on Second Street in B.B.'s hometown of Indianola, Mississippi. An original brick cotton gin in which young Riley B. King once worked has just been restored as Phase I of the project. An additional 20,000 s.f. of new construction will provide the museum with spaces for both permanent and traveling exhibits, educational programming, special events, retail sales, and administrative offices.

Carver Randle, an attorney in Indianola and member of the Museum Board of Directors said, "This Museum will be an asset that will reflect positively on all the good things going on in Mississippi today. I know that it has already had a positive effect on Indianola by bringing the community together. From the beginning this has been an exciting project, and thanks to the generosity of the Barksdales, we are about to see it through."

Anyone interested in making a pledge to assist the B.B. King Museum in meeting its matching requirement is encouraged to contact the Museum offices at 662-887-3009.

Scheduled to open on May 1, 2008, the B.B. King Museum is set to begin new construction in 2007.

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Press Contact:
Allan Hammons
TEL: 662-453-7078