Tagged: Benton

The Marshall County Arts Commission is raising funds to finish the Marshall County Children’s Art Center on East Elm Street in Benton. Today on Sounds Good, Commission Director George Milam describes the effort to Kate Lochte. See more events at the Marshall County Arts Commission website. 

A new free clinic is being prepared to open in Benton by the end of the month. Marshall County Free Clinic will see patients on Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Stilley Professional Building. To qualify for free medical care, patients must work at least 15 hours a week, have an income within 200 percent of federal poverty guidelines and not qualify for government assistance or insurance.

The first Kentucky lawmaker to head the state legislative ethics board who also served as House speaker in the 1960s will have a historical marker in his honor in Benton. Shelby McCallum was born in Tennessee in 1917 but he moved to Benton just before 1940. McCallum opened several theaters and founded WCBL in December 1954. He was a state representative in the ‘50s and ‘60s and presided over passing civil rights legislation. McCallum died in 1987. The ceremony for the marker honoring McCallum is today in Benton.

Benton’s annual Big Singing is the longest running indigenous musical event in the country. It’s a gathering of singing enthusiasts in the Benton courthouse every spring. But in recent years, attendance has been dwindling. We’ll join Rose Krzton-Presson as she explores this tradition and why it’s struggling to bring in a new generation of singers.

Every spring Marshall County plays host to one of the longest indigenous singing events in the country. The annual Big Singing is a tradition that has stayed largely the same since the 1800s. Rose Krzton-Presson explores history and significance of Marhshall County's Big Singing.