Museum Admission Will Be Free on Sunday, December 13, 2015

Chart-Topping Vocalist Cassadee Pope Will Headline a Day of Activity That Includes, a Songwriter Session with Don Schlitz, a Square Dance Celebration, a Hatch Show Print Demonstration, and More

NASHVILLE, Tenn., – December 9, 2015 – The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is pleased to partner with Ford Motor Company Fund for the seventh Ford Community Day. Museum admission will be FREE from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015, as a way to say thank you to the Middle Tennessee community and to lucky out-of-town visitors.

In addition to touring the exhibit galleries, visitors will be offered a variety of programs and events that offer fun for all ages. Activities in the Taylor Swift Education Center will feature dancing and hands-on art and music-making throughout the day. Ford Community Day events include:

• Creative Zone: Make a Medallion   9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
• Square Dance Celebration  10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
• Free Photos with Santa  11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Songwriter Session featuring Don Schlitz  11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
• Performance by Cassadee Pope  12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
• Signing with Cassadee Pope  1:30 p.m.
• Musical Petting Zoo  1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
• Hatch Show Print: Pull Your Own Print  1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
• Slap Bass Demonstration: Joe Fick  1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
• Group Guitar Lesson  2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
• Songwriter Session featuring Laura Veltz  2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

Although Cassadee Pope’s concert is free, a program pass will be required for admittance to the performance. Guests will be able to make a reservation beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9.  A limited number of passes will also be available at the museum on Sunday. Immediately following her performance, Pope will sign copies of her chart-topping debut album Frame by Frame (Republic Nashville) – featuring the platinum-certified hit “Wasting All These Tears” – purchased in the Museum Store. Purchase of the album is required to participate in the signing. For additional programming information or to make a reservation for Cassadee Pope’s performance, visit countrymusichalloffame.org/ford.

“Ford Motor Company and the Middle Tennessee Ford Dealers look forward to offering the opportunity to enjoy the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s premier educational experiences,” says Evelyn Sanders, director, Ford Credit Nashville Business Center. “Ford’s ties to country music run deep. Henry Ford launched many of his early models at fiddling competitions across the U.S., knowing that country music and the stories behind it were strongly connected to the everyday American. As a founding partner of the Hall, this initiative allows us to honor our traditions of supporting music and giving back to our community.”

“As one of the leading arts organizations in the world, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has a long-standing commitment of service to our local community,” says Steve Turner, chairman of the museum’s board of officers and trustees. “We are grateful to Ford Motor Company Fund for giving everyone access to the museum on what will be a truly memorable day.”

Ford Community Day visitors who show their Ford key will receive 10% off purchases in the Museum Store, Circa and Hatch Show Print, as well as food and beverage purchases at 2|22 and Bajo Sexto (excludes alcohol).

Visitors who wish to purchase a museum membership on this day will receive a 20% discount. The membership discount for new members will be honored online from Dec. 8 to 13. Visit countrymusichalloffame.org and use discount code FORD20.

Follow the museum on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and join the conversation using #HonorThyMusic and #FordDay.

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Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is operated by the Country Music Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964. The museum’s mission is the preservation of the history of country and related vernacular music rooted in southern culture.  With the same educational mission, the foundation also operates Historic RCA Studio B, Hatch Show PrintTM, CMF Records, the museum’s Frist Library and Archive and CMF Press. Museum programs are made possible, in part, by the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission, the Tennessee Arts Commission, and under agreements with the National Endowment for the Arts.
More information about the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is available at countrymusichalloffame.org or by calling (615) 416-2001. 

About Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services
Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services works with community and global partners to advance driving safety, education and community life. Ford Motor Company Fund has operated for more than 65 years with ongoing funding from Ford Motor Company. Ford Driving Skills for Life is free, interactive, hands-on safety training focused on skill development and driving techniques, while addressing inexperience, distractions and impaired driving.  Innovation in education is encouraged through Ford Blue Oval Scholars, Ford Next Generation Learning and other inspiring programs that enhance high school learning and provide college scholarships and university grants. The Ford Volunteer Corps enlists more than 30,000 Ford employees and retirees each year to work on local projects that strengthen their communities and improve people’s lives in more than 40 countries around the world. For more information, visit http://community.ford.com.