“How do we react to this challenge?” – Shoemaker discusses the $500,000 gift.

Alabama Music Hall of Fame

TUSCUMBIA – The entrepreneur is not interested in having his name bandied about just yet. Tuscumbia Mayor Bill Shoemaker says that’s just fine with him to keep it quiet… For now. But a fellow who used to live in Tuscumbia years ago, a friend of the Mayor’s, wants to help the dormant Alabama Music Hall of Fame.

Wednesday, The Quad-Cities Daily caught up with Shoemaker for comments on the proposition while at a Shoals Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting on 6th Street.

Mayor Bill Shoemaker

“There was a person who used to live here many years ago, haven’t seen him in years, and he called me last week,” explained Shoemaker. “He asked me lots of questions. The Alabama Music Hall of Fame’s story has been well covered and he read a story last week. He contacted me and said that he was willing to donate a hundred thousand dollars a year, for five years plus some expert help in planning fund-raiser events.”

Shoemaker said that the individual, who wishes to remain anonymous for now, wants to give the Community an opportunity to get behind this idea of keeping the Hall of Fame open. The contribution, while sizeable, is by itself not enough to keep the museum open. The Mayor said that raising more money is necessary. And he is on a mission to get help in figuring out how to do it.  “We’re asking for input from every interested person, organization, government and business in the Shoals area,” he said.

Some of the things that Mayor Shoemaker and the Tuscumbia City Council are looking at are money raising mechanisms. He continued, “Let’s look at room (tax) rate at motels and hotels. That will bring in revenue which is contributed mostly from people who live out of town; that’s one idea. Another idea, is we know, we’ve got to raise some revenue… local revenue. How do we do that? Tuscumbia is probably one of the least prepared for surplus revenue. We have none. And Sheffield; there are several of us. And the (Colbert County) County Commission tells me that they’re over committed. And so, then… What do we do? We say (to them), ‘Well, what are you willing to do.? Are they willing to contribute as we start a new fiscal year with the budgets. ” His number initially is a contribution from the local governments of about 50-cents per person. But Shoemaker recognizes that this would only be a drop in the bucket. He said that new, more creative efforts must be implemented to get some serious money flowing into the Hall of Fame. Probably the best notion is bringing in big-name groups to perform in some sort of venue on the Hall of Fame grounds. A new concert hall has been brought forth, but as of now, Shoemaker, says that possibility is still out in the distance. Well, unless another deep-pocketed benefactor can pony-up for that.

“This is a challenge that has been put to us,” he said, “How do we react to this challenge?”