“I could not be happier,” said director Mark Farr-Nash. “Having this paperwork in hand was all that stood between us and a number of earnest contributions.” Donations made to the Museum project are now considered tax-deductible, and receipts will be available upon request.

“Our present goal, and the most important goal, remains securing the Joe Showler Collection for the museum’s holdings. Without the collection, we have no museum, no archive, and no project.” In order to obtain the collection, the museum has agreed to pay for half the total cost of the materials up front, with the balance due over a period of several years. The down payment will allow the collection to be moved from its current home in Toronto, Canada, to Vernon, Texas. “Cost-wise, it’s about a tenth of our overall project, but it’s got to be the first tenth that we raise.”

The total cost of the project is estimated to be 1.6 million dollars. This includes renovations to the museum’s future home at 1922 Wilbarger Street. The building recently had new windows installed and a new, energy-efficient rubber membrane roof added. “We’re thinking about long-term solutions,” Far-Nash said of the building upgrades. “That roof will lower our energy needs by around 40%. And it’s good for 20 to 30 years. What we’re going to store in this building is, I think, a Vernon treasure, and it deserves to be well protected.”

People and institutions wishing to donate to the Museum project may now do so from the website, via a PayPal account, or by downloading a pledge card that they can fill out and return. “We also have a number of corporate and private institutions locally who may be waiting on this good news before the make any contributions,” Farr-Nash said. “If anyone is interested in major funding, I urge them to call me. We will be happy to work with anyone who is interested in seeing Vernon grow, mature, and flourish in the future.”

For more information about any aspect of the Jack Teagarden Museum, contact Mark Farr-Nash or call (940) 839-7873. To make a donation, visit the website at www.teagardenmuseum.org.

“This fundraiser was necessary for a couple of reason,” said Farr-Nash. “First off, there are a number of folks who don’t know that much about Teagarden’s life and times. Watching this documentary was a great way to catch up. Also, all of the archival footage of Jack playing his horn, all of the music, the stills, the record labels, everything shown in the documentary actually came from the Showler collection. So, it’s also a great preview of what we are trying to bring to Vernon.”

Also present at the fundraiser were architectural blueprints of the proposed remodel of the building at 1922 Wilbarger Street, rendered by local architect Don Wilson. “Don’s vision is great,” said Farr-Nash. “He’s been around and he knows what kind of high class presentation we’re aiming for, and we’re just thrilled to be working with him on this project.”  Farr-Nash added that renovation on the building has already begun with the replacement of the roof which was damaged in the windstorms last year, followed by the installation of new windows on the front side of the building facing Wilbarger.

Monies collected from the fundraiser will be used to establish an internet presence with a website that fans from around the world can access to read on the museum’s progress and also donate money.  “Ever since the announcement,” Farr-Nash said, “I’ve gotten a number of emails from around the world, asking questions and offering donations. Now we’ll be able to take them, and also keep out of town folks in the loop.”

The fundraiser on Tuesday night also rolled out a new strategy in the form of pledge cards: The museum is selling 175 lifetime memberships for $1,000, all of which is applied to acquiring the Joe Showler Collection. “It’s so important to get this archive and bring it in to Vernon before the June 30th deadline,” said Farr-Nash. “We’ve got one shot at a Jack Teagarden museum, and a first-class one, at that, but it begins and ends with getting control of the materials to actually make the museum in the first place.” The monies pledged to become a lifetime member of the Teagarden Museum need not be paid all at once. “As long as we have the thousand by the end of June, that’s all that matters,” said Farr-Nash. “It comes down to this,” he said, “people who want to make this museum happen will contribute. They just have to. This is their one chance to make a positive change for Vernon and see tangible results. Without individual contributions from citizens and businesses to bolster the fund, we’re going to be in trouble. With individual contributions, we can get it done.”

Farr-Nash expects the website to be up in the next two to four weeks. “We’ll also have pledge cards to download, and a paypal link on the website.”