DATE: Wednesday, November 19, 1997          TAG: 9711190524

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY STEPHEN HARRIMAN, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   76 lines

THE BEACH - YEAH, YEAH, YEAH - MAKES BID FOR BEATLES MUSEUM

Virginia Beach on Tuesday joined a very short list of cities seriously vying for McKee's Beatles Museum, which claims to be the only museum dedicated to the Fab Four in the United States.

The small, privately owned museum is located in rural Stanardsville, Va., north of Charlottesville.

All it took for the Beach to become a leading contender was a phone call from Robert Ruhl, the city's business development manager, to owner Michael McKee. Ruhl, who made the call on Tuesday, was following up on a business-recruitment packet that Beach officials had sent to McKee earlier, after hearing of his plans to move.

``We'd love to have him relocate in Virginia Beach,'' Ruhl said. ``This would be an international draw. It would be a wonderful accent to our GTE Virginia Beach Amphitheater. I'm very optimistic about this. It would be another cultural amenity for the area.''

``I love Virginia Beach,'' said McKee. ``We have a time-share down there. I'm a beach person, originally from Santa Monica, Calif.''

McKee and his wife, Lynn, opened the museum in August 1996 in Stanardsville, a city of about 350, where he happened to be operating a print shop. The museum and business are housed in a narrow, one-story building - about 1,000 square feet altogether - that used to be the town's post office.

It has averaged about 1,000 visitors a month, despite the fact that Stanardsville is far off the beaten path.

Stanardsville, however, seems to be rather indifferent to the museum.

``This is a rural community, and there is limited support for us here,'' McKee says.

``We had the Beatles Festival here July 5. It filled the town. The people at the local paper chose to ignore it. No pictures, no story, nothing.''

Stanardsville-area officials have said that while McKee's museum is good for tourism, there is little likelihood of cash incentives or special considerations to entice McKee to remain.

``If he's found a market where he thinks he can do better, he should do that,'' Mayor Jerry Bortner told the Charlottesville Daily Progress.

In addition to a better location, McKee says, the museum needs more space - at least 4,000 square feet - for displays, some of which he has stored due to lack of space.

``You get eight people in there, and they're bumping into each other,'' McKee says. ``Especially with our new display cases, there's just not enough room.''

The museum features records, guitars, photos and other memorabilia from the personal collection of McKee, 42, a lifelong Beatles fan. He came to Virginia in 1981 to visit a friend, and - he regrets this deeply now - gave away most of his Beatles collection before the trip.

He decided to stay in the commonwealth and began working, first in Charlottesville, then Ruckersville, then Stanardsville, collecting more Beatles memorabilia all the while.

Ruhl discussed with McKee on Tuesday the general requirements for the expanded museum that McKee envisions.

``We'll review those things,'' Ruhl says. ``Then we'll drive up there to meet with them, and we'll get them to come down here. Then we'll see what we can do.''

There was no word Tuesday on what incentives Virginia Beach might offer, or where the museum might be located.

Among the features that McKee envisions for the new museum are a karaoke room to sing along with the Beatles, a 10- to 15-seat movie theater to view Beatles flicks, a ``Revolution Room'' with strobe lights and black lights with heavier Beatles music and an ``And I Love Her'' room with revolving mirror ball that focuses on the love interests of John, George, Paul and Ringo. And an expanded gift shop.

McKee says that when he does relocate, he will begin to charge a small admission fee. At present the museum is free.

Virginia Beach's primary competitor for the museum appears to be Charlottesville. The short list also includes Manassas and Blacksburg. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

Area Shown: Central Virginia: Stanardsville: Location of McKee's

Beatles Museum KEYWORDS: BEATLES MUSEUM

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