The Australian Country Music Hall of Fame has been in its new home on the corner of Peel and Murray streets for many months, but volunteers celebrated its official opening on Saturday, January 16.

Special guests included many country artists such as Joy McKean, music industry members, Tamworth councillors and MP Kevin Anderson.

Mayor Col Murray said residents were all extremely proud of their festival and the Hall of Fame was another attraction to add to the growing list.

“The thing we haven’t done as well as we might have is keep our history on display and intact,” he said.

“The volunteers have collected and gathered so much memorabilia ... you can really see our country music heritage on display.”

Hall of fame secretary Athol Latham said the new building was much more open to people to walk around, allowing more items to be displayed than could be at their former home in the old Mechanics Institute building.

“We’ve got two museums running – the Hall of Fame and Walk A Country Mile,” he said.

“People should come to see the history of country music and it’s not just clothing, we have all sorts of things on display. It brings back a lot of memories for people.”

Cr Murray said the Hall of Fame was evidence of what was possible and what could be achieved by people who were so generous with their time.

As part of the official opening ceremony, host Jon Wolfe announced the inductees to the Hands of Fame and Broadcasters Hall of Fame and the winner of the Tamworth Award.

Patti Morgan, Jeff Brown, Steve Newton and Drew McAlister are the most recent Hands of Fame inductees with Mike Kennedy from Coast FM entering the Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

Hall of Fame curator Judy Loffel won the Tamworth Award for her dedication to Tamworth and country music all year ’round.

“I do what I do because I love what I do,” she said.

The Hands of Fame imprinting ceremony is at 10.30am, after the Toyota Country Music Cavalcade, on Kable Ave, on  Saturday, January 23.