I had an opportunity a while back to attend a tourism conference in Owensboro, Kentucky (www.visitowensboro.com ). The meeting was called The Select Traveler Conference, and it was sponsored by the Group Travel Family (www.GroupTravelFamily.com). Since going to places in the USA I have never been before, is of great interest to me, I started reading up on Owensboro, and found out it has the moniker of "Bar-B-Q Capital of the World", and is located on the border between Kentucky and Indiana, along the banks of the Ohio River. (Note the location of the white star in the photo).
When I arrived in Owensboro, and I saw the stunning architecture of the Owensboro Kentucky Convention Center meeting location, I knew I was in for an architectural treat!
Before exploring the inside, I took the opportunity with the gorgeous bright blue skies, to photograph some of the outdoor features, adjacent to the convention center. One of these was the Kentucky Kid statue that paid tribute to Owensboro-born, Nicky Hayden. You can read about his amazing career in motorcycle racing at his page on Wikipedia.org .
I took a stroll along the lovely park adjacent to the Convention Center, that occupies a scenic spot beside the Ohio River. The swings under these cupolas are particularly inviting.
A round concrete pier reaches out into the river:
A musician was sitting on one of the benches, strumming a very pleasant tune of a song about the river.
A playground adds fun activities for the youngsters (visible through the archway of the restrooms), and there were dozens of children enjoying the equipment on this beautiful day in late winter, when I visited.
The babbling sounds of a lovely round fountain provided a nice addition to the quiet flow of the river beside it.
A metal bench makes a perfect location to sit and observe the boat traffic along the river :
More benches provide seating to watch the distant bridge auto traffic:
A large fiddle sculpture along the river walk, reminds visitors that Owensboro is known as the Bluegrass Music Capitol of the World!
That is why our opening night event for the conference was held at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum (www.BluegrassMusic.com). There was a very harmonious band of traditional bluegrass musicians playing throughout the event.
I liked the area that had all types of stringed instruments available for guests to try. The first one I tried was the banjo, because I have always found its sound very captivating!
One of the exhibits displayed some of the elaborate fringed and rhinestoned costumes of the Kody Norris Show. Although their attire may look "vintage", they are most definitely a modern-day favorite of bluegrass fans. Check out their website, www.KodyNorrisShow.com, for their tour schedule.
I was able to get the host of the conference, Mac Lacy, to put down his camera long enough that I could get a photo of him holding the bass fiddle at the "Picking Parlor" area. Mac is the president and publisher of The Group Travel Leader Inc.
He also took a photo of me pretending to be a musician!
I included this plaque of Hall of Famer, Allison Krauss, because she was a famous bluegrass musician I got to see perform at the Grand Palace, in Branson, Missouri. I was also able to see Bluegrass Hall of Famer, Ricky Skaggs, in Branson.
A performer NEVER seen by me in Branson, (or anywhere else!) is Jerry Garcia. The Owensboro museum has a fascinating exhibit about his life and music career, where he was well-known as one of the founders of the Grateful Dead band. I had no idea of his background in bluegrass music, until I studied this fascinating exhibit!
The popular movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", starring George Clooney, was the first introduction many people had to bluegrass music, and became a catalyst for many folks starting to enjoy the genre in a renewed way.
I took a photo of this vintage "Reel to Reel" tape recorder, because my parents had an office and school supply business that sold these tape recorders. I remember practicing my valedictorian speech over and over on such a recorder, and playing it back over and over, trying to improve my delivery with each practice!
The second day of the conference was off to an early start, with members of the Group Travel Family greeting us as we entered the convention center, and directing us to our breakfast area.
The gigantic art installation inside the Convention Center made good use of the light and shadows provided by the vast expanses of glass:
cafe sign shadows

I wanted to get a view of the lobby from the second story, so I found the stairs where I saw this very motivational sign. I made a vow to myself in my twenties, that I would take the stairs instead of the elevator, whenever possible, and I encourage others to do the same!
Once on the second story, I had a sweeping view of the three story art installation:
Considering the delicious meals we were served during the conference, it was important to climb the stairs as much as possible to burn off all those delicious calories! Kentucky has a "signature dish", called a Kentucky Legend Hot Brown, and a version of it is shown in the photo below:
Our sightseeing in the afternoon started with tasting and tour at the famous Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn, in Owensboro (www.moonlite.com). They have been voted Kentucky's best BarBQ, and explained why mutton is one of their specialty meats.
With my background in Institutional Food Service, I especially enjoyed the "behind the scenes" tour of their kitchen and ovens. They have custom-built hickory-fired pits, and produce an amazing array of smoked meats.
The family-owned business started in 1963, and one of the family members is shown holding a giant fork, used to spear and turn the large pieces of meat inside the hickory pits. I was glad they followed food service sanitation guidelines, by giving all of us a head covering, before we could go into the food preparation areas.
We also had the opportunity to sample some of their meat products, as it was a component of the famous Kentucky staple, called Burgoo, that we were served.
The next stop on our sightseeing tour was this recently-opened 100 million dollar entertainment complex, developed by Churchill Downs.
As you enter and look upward, you will see a wonderful mural of a horse-race themed painting, in the rotunda.
Jockey display
plain outfit
restroom
horse mosaic
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The very first day of the conference, we had the opportunity to choose all the "fixins" that would be made by two hattiers from the Kentucky Derby Museum, in an activity they call "Hatitudes". It was fascinating to see them do their magic to create some stunning hats--which are a tradition for those going to the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
derby museum
Hat collage
Instagram oval
Lady making hats
Tish on red carpet
buffet
girl with drinks
girl with hands together
me with girls at table
gift bags