Travel about an hour west of Charlotte and you will come to the historic town of Shelby, North Carolina, located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. One of Shelby’s native sons, the bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs, has been honored with a new museum called the Earl Scruggs Center, in the restored 1907 Cleveland County courthouse in downtown Shelby. This museum covers Earl’s life, contributions and community of the musical innovator.
Mr. Scruggs was a master of the five-string banjo and invented the style that is played today by banjo pickers all over the world. The Center combines his colorful life story and Cleveland County native with the unique and interesting story of the history and cultural traditions of the region in which Mr. Scruggs was born and raised. According to the its web site, “The Center explores Mr. Scruggs’ innovative career and the community that gave it shape while celebrating how he crossed musical boundaries and defined the voice of the banjo to the world. Engaging exhibits, special event space and rich programming provide a uniquely rich experience for visitors.”
The center features recent and archival video footage, two floors of exhibits including oral histories, a showcase of instruments from Scruggs and his musical relatives, local and regional history and state-of-the-art interactive exhibits. One exhibit, entitled “Banjo Breakdown,” clear-fronted banjos are shown from the inside out, allowing viewers to compare playing styles. “Common Threads” , a multimedia exhibit, reveals intersections of artist, instrument, style and place. An innovative display allows users to throw their own “picking’ party,” where they can play virtual mandolins, banjos, guitars and other bluegrass instruments.
Since many of the items contained in the museum are irreplaceable, the architects and builders required a special type of window film to protect these treasures from the bright Carolina sunshine. Since Huper Optik has a reputation for providing the highest quality films, especially where archival standards need to be met, the Center looked to Charlotte-based Window Solutions, a local Huper Optik Premier dealer, to install this film.
The work required not only knowledge of Huper film; it also demanded the installation be completed quickly and correctly the first time. Working under a very tight time frame, AAA owner Dean Randall and his team met the Center’s deadline for the installation.
Written by: AAA Window Cleaning
