This week, Owensboro rolls out the red carpet to visitors from all over the world as the International Bluegrass Music Museum hosts ROMP. Twenty five thousand people will gather at our beautiful Yellow Creek Park to listen to music and enjoy one of the up-and-coming music festivals in the U.S. This event is one our teenagers will attend and brag about to friends when they tell them how cool their hometown is.
When our chamber recently took a delegation to Washington D.C., we learned that several staffers on Capitol Hill do not miss ROMP. Young people from New York City, Chicago and Savannah, Ga., make this an annual trek. People of all ages are in the audience. It truly is a genre that transcends generations.
Our Convention and Visitors Bureau sees the potential of Bluegrass music in our community. They are committed to focusing much of their efforts and resources on developing awareness of that niche and hitting it full throttle. It is a great idea and one on which we can deliver.
The time is right. Today’s travelers are looking for a unique experience. They do not mind traveling a bit to get there. We are centrally located.
Just think of what the music scene can mean to communities. Jobs follow people now. The more we can create an infrastructure in our community where there are different things to do, where there are opportunities and spaces to create a hip vibe, we have a chance to compete for people.
And ROMP is a perfect example.
By Candance Brake President and CEO Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce