The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame and Museum is suspending operations

MUSKOGEE, Okla. - The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame And Museum is suspending operations and closing its doors to the public.

Officials say they lack the funds to keep it running.

Longtime employee Ron Boren knows the story behind each of the 65 artists inducted into the hall.

"Oklahoma has such a rich musical heritage," Boren said.

Now that the museum and hall of fame are suspending operations, Boren is out of a job.

He is one of the two full-time staff members who are now on unpaid leave.

"This has been our life, we're a family down here," he said.

Board members say this was not an easy decision to make.

"It hurts, it affects people who work here, it affects people who come to visit, it affects donors who have contributed," said Jim Blair, president of the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

They have had several big donations in the last few years - especially from the City of Muskogee Foundation - but that does not mean they have the money to keep the museum up and running.

"Those are specifically for capital projects we can't use that money for operations," Blair said.

Which means even though a new children's museum was just completed, there is not enough money for electricity, gas and employee salaries.

"We hope to get funding in place with our city foundation so the next four months is kind of a struggle for us," Blair said.

Unless a big donor comes through before then, the earliest the museum could be back up and running is July.

Boren hopes this is just a temporary problem, so he can go back to sharing his passion for music.

"This is  the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, we have to remind people that this is not the Muskogee music hall of fame, very few states have what we have, such a worldwide legacy," he said.

The annual induction ceremony will still happen as scheduled. The hall will also be available for events.

If you are interested in making a donation, they can be sent here:

Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame
P.O. Box 3221
Muskogee, OK 74402