KASU-FM's Bluegrass Monday concert series gets new home

July 30, 2010 -- KASU-FM’s Bluegrass Monday concert series now has a new home, the Collins Theatre, 120 West Emerson Street, in downtown Paragould, Arkansas.  The first show at this new location will be Monday, August 23, at 7 p.m. featuring award-winning bluegrass entertainer Valerie Smith and her band Liberty Pike. 

“I’m thrilled that the historic Collins Theatre will host KASU’s Bluegrass Monday,” said Marty Scarbrough, KASU-FM Program Director and coordinator of the concert series.  “The concert series will move to another level of excellence by being in this beautiful facility.”

The 543-seat Collins Theatre was constructed in 1925, and in recent years significant work has been done to renovate the facility to its original glory.  State-of-the-art audio, video and lighting systems are also in place in the theatre which Scarbrough says which will greatly enhance the Bluegrass Monday experience.

Now in its eighth year, the Bluegrass Monday concert series has brought musicians from across the country to perform as a way to promote KASU’s broadcast of this style of music on Sunday afternoons.  The concert series also promotes the musical heritage of the Ozark Mountains as bluegrass music has been a popular style of music for many years in the region.  Shows are held on the fourth Monday night of each month.  The average audience size has been 350 people, and Scarbrough expects the audience size to grow in the new facility.

The move to the Collins Theatre was made possible by new sponsors for the concert series, Phillips Funeral Home of Paragould, Backbeat Music of Jonesboro, and a group of downtown Paragould businesses through the Main Street Paragould program.  These new sponsors join existing sponsors The Posey Peddler of Jonesboro and the Northeast Arkansas Bluegrass Association.  Additional sponsors are still being sought to further raise the quality of the concert series.

Terry’s Café at 201 South Pruett Street in downtown Paragould, one block from the Collins Theatre, will be open on Monday nights to serve concertgoers prior to the show.  The “jam sessions” for local bluegrass musicians that have become a part of Bluegrass Monday will take place at Terry’s Café before each concert.  Concessions will also be sold at the Collins Theatre.

Admission at Bluegrass Monday concerts is by donation from the audience members.  The concert series is a non-profit event, as all money collected from concertgoers is given to the featured performers.  “We request at least a five-dollar donation per person,” Scarbrough stated.  “Most of our performers are full-time musicians, and they rely on the money to cover their expenses.”

KASU-FM is the 100,000 watt public radio station broadcasting to listeners in Northeast Arkansas, Southeast Missouri and West Tennessee from the campus of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.  KASU broadcasts bluegrass music every Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.  More information about the Bluegrass Monday concert series is available from Marty Scarbrough at 870-972-2367 or mscarbro@astate.edu.

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