FERRIDAY — Local music and history lovers weaved their way through interactive kiosks while they were serenaded by such American musical classics as “Cold, Cold Heart” and “Folsom Prison Blues” at the Arcade Theater Thursday night.

They gathered at the theater for the opening of “New Harmonies,” a traveling Smithsonian Museum exhibit exploring American roots music.

The exhibit is the result of a partnership between the Smithsonian Institute, the Louisiana Secretary of State’s office, the Louisiana Endowment of the Humanities and the Friends of the Delta Music Museum.

Smithsonian Institute Chief Information Officer Ann Speyer is originally from Bude, and she said sending traveling Smithsonian exhibits to small towns is a cause close to her heart.

“It offers a chance for people who might otherwise never get one to go to a Smithsonian (exhibit),” she said.

And Delta Music Museum Director Judith Bingham said they were glad to have the exhibit.

There may be no better place in the U.S. to host an exhibit about American roots music than Ferriday, Louisiana Secretary of State Jay Dardenne said.

“Louisiana has such a potpourri of music — from blues to zydeco to jazz, and Ferriday has contributed to that,” Dardenne said.

“You see Louisianans in these exhibits, and you see their impact (on the musical world) — and they aren’t mentioned in passing.”

The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities provided the grant funding for the exhibit to come to Ferriday, and Assistant Director for Grants Rachel Norman said everyone can be proud of how well Louisiana is represented in the exhibits.

The exhibit will run through Dec. 5 and is free to the public.