by F.C. Lowe
The Winchester Star

Winchester, WVA — Information about the planned Patsy Cline Museum on the Loudoun Street Mall is available on www.celebratingpatsycline.org.

"We are so happy to have launched the site and to share with the public our progress on the way to opening the museum," said Judy Sue Huyett-Kempf, board member of CPC.  The nonprofit corporation’s mission is to preserve and perpetuate the legacy of Patsy Cline and her music, according to the site.  "We encourage everyone to visit the site," Huyett-Kempf said.

Ernie Ryles, along with Karen Helm, CPC board members, were given the task of planning the development of the Web site.  "We wanted to make it very professional, using the best that was out there for Patsy Cline," Ryles said.  So they chose Media Box Studios of Warrenton to build the site with directions from CPC.  "We had pages of notes of what we wanted," Ryles added.

The site showcases the designs for the museum by the New York firm of Ralph Appelbaum and Associates, a museum and exhibition design firm. Photos and schematic drawings depict how Cline’s biography and music will be displayed at the museum.

CPC recently signed a 25-year lease on the building at 134 N. Loudoun St., Winchester, with a first option to buy, Huyett-Kempf said.  This will be the first phase of a new 7,000-square-foot museum on the pedestrian mall. 

The Web site also features background information on the life and music of the singer who was born in 1932 in Winchester Memorial Hospital.  A collection of old photos depict her during the years before her fame in the country music world.  "We wanted little known, but verified facts, about her included on the site," Ryles said. Plus, the group wanted the CPC goals and mission explained with the main focus of the site on the museum and getting support for it.

"We’ve moved ahead with the building and the Web site, and now are looking at major fundraising," Ryles said.

He became involved with CPC about a year and a half ago when he researched volunteer opportunities in the community after selling his business.  "I saw the museum as a potential for the downtown area — preserving and perpetuating the legacy of Patsy Cline," he said. While not a lifelong fan of the country music artist, he said he has come to appreciate and admire what she did.

Reminiscences of those who knew her are also part of the site along with her words, such as the following: "I have gotten more than I asked for. All that I ever wanted was to hear my voice on record and have a song among the Top 20."

Visit www.celebratingpatsycline.org, call 888-608-2726, e-mail info@celebratingpatsycline.org, or mail P.O. Box 3900, Winchester 22604.