By By Sheila Blackmon/The Meridian Star
April 17, 2001
Lauderdale County officials and other community members got a demonstration Monday of a new Peavey sound system at the Lauderdale County Agri-Center.
The new system comes after Hartley Peavey, president of Peavey Electronics, interrupted his presentation of the Hartley D. Peavey Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence last year to express his disappointment in county supervisors for not installing Peavey equipment in the facility.
District 1 Supervisor Hank Florey, who said then he didn't blame Peavey for feeling that way, attended the unveiling of the new system.
District 5 Supervisor Ray Boswell, who has voiced concerns about money spent at the Agri-Center on more than one occasion, said the demonstration was "great."
Tim Chesney, county information systems technician, installed the system with the help of four trusties from the Lauderdale County Detention Facility.
The new system, specified by Peavey Electronics sound reinforcement technician Marty McCann, features the latest in technology, Chesney said.
He said the Agri-Center is now outfitted with nine suspended speaker arrays housing 27 loudspeakers, giving full coverage of the audience area, upper levels and other points throughout the building. The system is controlled by a Peavey CEX-5 digital processor that allows almost any configuration for any event needing audio amplification.
Chesney said a system is being developed to install sponsor signs throughout the 31,250-square-foot building that will double as acoustical panels to further enhance and control the sound.
The $34,000 system could have cost $70,000 if an outside company and installed it, officials said.
A special open house and weekend extravaganza of live music, games, pony rides, art and events will give all members of the community a chance to hear the new system. The event will take place April 27-29. For more information, visit the county's Web site at www.lauderdalecounty.org, or call the Agri-Center at 482-8498.
Sheila Blackmon is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail her at sblackmon@themeridianstar.com.