FERRIDAY — Even though it won’t officially open until Thursday, interested residents can get an early peek at New Harmonies, the traveling Smithsonian Museum exhibit hosted at the Delta Music Museum, at 7 p.m. tonight.

The museum will host a performance by Hezekiah Early and the House Rockers at the Arcade Theater, where the exhibit is being housed.

Hiram F. “Pete” Gregory, a Ferriday native will also give a presentation about the Ferriday of his boyhood and the role the town played in the development of delta music.

“We’re looking forward to the discussion of how the blues affected the music of the Delta,” Delta Music Museum Director Judith Bingham said.

Members of the community have already been asking about the exhibit, and some tourists have already gone through.

“(The tourists) saw that we were putting the exhibit up and asked if they could go through,” Bingham said. “It doesn’t open until Thursday, but now that we’ve got it up I’m not going to stop anyone from going through.”

The New Harmonies exhibit is an exploration of American roots music, from gospel and bluegrass to country, jazz, folk and rockabilly.

The museum’s hosting of the exhibit is a joint effort between the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office, the Smithsonian Institute, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and the Friends of the Delta Music Museum Foundation.

The exhibit will officially run from Oct. 23 until Dec. 5, and every Saturday during that time the Arcade will host musical and educational performances.

All of the events related to the exhibit are free and open to the public. Contact the Delta Music Museum at 318-757-9999.