After a kick-off that drew around 300 people, the traveling Smithsonian exhibit, “New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music” was open for visitors yesterday at the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History.

Crowds gathered on the third floor of the museum to see the exhibit, which included separate sections on different types of roots music. The museum also added sections on WPAQ and Tommy Jarrell to the exhibit. People not only got to look at pictures and instruments and read about various types of music, but they also could interact with the exhibit. They could listen to music at the listening station, or write down the name of the first record they ever bought and add it to a board.

As Linda Carlisle, secretary for the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, took a look around, she said, “The museum itself is wonderful. I’m just so impressed.”

Of the exhibit, she said, “I’m excited for young people to see this. It’s a very important part of their history. It really makes it come to life for people.”

Carlisle said that the exhibit will eventually move on to five more locations in North Carolina, and each location will add local exhibit pieces to the arrangement.

Steve Yokeley, Mount Airy city commissioner, came to the opening. He said, “It is a wonderful exhibit. We’re lucky to have it in Mount Airy ... It’s where it needs to be.”

Fifth District Rep. Virginia Foxx spoke during the opening ceremony and then took some time looking at the exhibit.

She said, “It’s terrific, and I think it is wonderful to bring the Smithsonian here instead of people having to go to Washington.”

Foxx liked the visuals that went with the exhibit. She said, “It is important for us to know our history, but nowadays it’s very difficult to get people to read about history. It’s important to have visuals.”

Lib Boles is a docent at the museum, and she said, “I just love this museum. I think it’s great that we’re the first ones to have (New Harmonies).”

She especially enjoyed the listening station, where people were able to hear snippets of roots music.

Julie Gilley grew up in Mount Airy and is now attending Catawba College. She is on spring break and decided to come to the exhibit opening. As a history major, Gilley said she is interested in the role music plays in history.

“I think that music is the way people talk about how they feel,” she said.

She enjoyed looking at the exhibit, saying, “It’s part of our heritage. It’s important to study where we came from.”

Emma Jean Tucker, a member of the museum board, got to see a sneak peek of the exhibit Friday night. She also loved the listening station.

She said, “It’s wonderful to see the different genres ... I think it should appeal to most everyone.”

Angela Llewellyn, a local librarian, spent time looking at the exhibit. She said, “It’s nice. I think we should be proud that we were picked ... It very much has a home here.”

The exhibit was set up on Thursday, and Heather Elliott, education and program director for the museum, said, “The installation is a lot easier than it looks like it would be ... The whole process has really been a dream.”

Matt Edwards, director of the museum, said, “It is a fantastic exhibit. It’s a much larger exhibit than I expected. This is one of the best prepared exhibits I’ve ever worked with.”

The exhibit will be on display for six weeks, and admission to the museum during that period will be free. The museum also will host ongoing events related to the exhibit over the six-week period. There will be a Lunch and Learn series each Wednesday at noon, diddley bow workshop, and community roots music showcases. These events are all free to the public.

For more information about the museum and these programs, call the museum at 786-4478 or visit online at www.northcarolinamuseum.org.

Contact Meghann Evans at mevans@mtairynews.com or 719-1952.