City to fund Hee Haw Museum

Having been turned down by the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Atlanta city leaders are pledging to re-direct funds set aside for the racing museum to create a living monument to the syndicated TV classic, "Hee Haw."

A delegation featuring Roy Clark, the Hagar twins and family of the late Junior Samples will tour the city on Friday. Atlanta faces stiff competition for the Hee Haw museum, as municipalities from West Virginia to Arkansas to Oklahoma are bidding for the rights to house this tribute to corn pone.

"Bringing the Hee Haw museum to Atlanta would further establish our city as a destination spot for tourists," said Spurgeon Richardson, chair of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Plus, it would enable us to not to have to waste our time and resources on that stupid new Symphony Hall."

The "Hee Haw Hall" would be largely interactive; visitors could, for example, sing-a-long with Lulu Roman, or trade jokes with George "Goober" Lindsey in the "virtual cornfield."

"I crossed a sponge with a potato the other day ..."

"Didn't taste too good, but it sure did soak up a lot of gravy!"

As evidence of the city's enthusiasm at landing the Hee Haw museum, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin will be performing a number with the Moonshine Cloggers at a luncheon for the delegation Friday.

"I hear they were very popular with those Hagar twins," the mayor said with a wink.