PATSY CLINE GETTING A NEW HOME

by Charlie Jackson
The Winchester Star

Patsy Cline has a new home — 48 S. Loudoun St. — and she’ll be on display for all to see in eight months. “We’re in the final negotiations now,” said Philip L. Martin, president of Celebrating Patsy Cline, Inc.

At a meeting of Winchester’s Finance and Administration Committee Monday morning, Martin said a formal announcement of the museum’s plans will come in the next week.

Celebrating Patsy Cline Inc., intends to have a grand opening on March 5, 2006 — the anniversary of a tragic plane crash that took Cline’s life at age 30.

Martin said the home at 48 S. Loudoun — approximately 2,200 square feet — may be temporary. The museum will work to get its exhibits constructed and membership built before deciding to expand or relocate to a bigger facility.

Exhibits will follow Patsy Cline’s life from her childhood days in Winchester to her more celebrated days as a country music star in Nashville, Tenn., to her death.

The opening will cost Celebrating Patsy Cline, Inc., an estimated $175,000. The Finance and Administration Committee recommended giving $110,000 to help cover operational expenses.

This building, located at 48 South Loudoun Street in Winchester, West Virginia may become the home of the Patsy Cline Museum.

Photo by Scott Mason

Museum officials also hoped to secure $100,000 for the design and construction of Sweet Dreams Diner, which would open in June 2006. Some councilors were hesitant to provide funding for a restaurant, which would compete against private establishments on Loudoun Street.

While the $100,000 start-up money would be a one-time allotment, the museum would annually give about 70 percent of the restaurant’s profits to the city.

“It needs to be approached as a museum,” Martin said. “The city has stepped up formally now to be part of the museum of which there is a retail component that’s part of a gift shop, part restaurant establishment eatery.”

The funding for the diner will be studied and discussed again.

Councilor J. Stephen Bauserman said the upside to funding the diner would be the revenue-sharing setup. He said the city could reinvest that money in Old Town.

Martin said a location for the diner hasn’t been chosen, but it would be within a few feet of the facility at 48 S. Loudoun St.