PHARR – A man in Pharr dedicated his time, effort and a small pension to open up the Conjunto and Tejano Museum.

The building is small and consists of the front lobby and two back rooms. The hallway is also part of the exhibit hall.

“I wish I could do more for all the musicians. Everybody,” Roy Rodriguez, owner of the museum, said.

Rodriguez has collected and displayed a plethora of memorabilia.

“Usually, when I have an event, believe it or not, they’ll just say, ‘Hey Roy, here put this up in your museum’ and they’ll autograph it,” he said.

Gilberto Lopez, from Los Dos Gilbertos, donated his first accordion and Juan Pena donated a piano to the museum.

“(And this girl) recorded the last CD, Laura. And this was the dress she wore, her mama gave me the dress,” he said.

Almost every square inch is taken by a display with memories.

“I spent more than half my life playing music,” Balde Munoz said. He volunteers at the museum.

A legend himself, for more than 40 years he played drums with most of the popular bands.

“And I’m so proud of Mr. Roy Rodriguez because he’s devoted his lifetime, his heart, his soul to collect all these artifacts, all these nice things. All this history of our Mexican American culture through our music,” Munoz said.

The museum is located in part of what used to be the old Pharr City Hall on Newcombe Drive.

“I asked the city for a bigger building but they keep telling me they don’t have the space,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez does what he can with what he has. And next month he will host a fundraiser.

“April 29 at the Texas Theater in the city of Pharr, doors will open about 4:30 because the show starts from 6:00 to 11:00,” he said.

The normal hours at the museum are 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. or people can call Rodriguez at 249-9365.

“Because it’s all culture, it’s everybody’s life here,” he said.

The museum filled with memories of Conjunto and Tejano music is in need of a bigger place.

You can catch Con Mi Gente segments Tuesdays and Thursdays on CHANNEL 5 NEWS THIS MORNING and CHANNEL 5 NEWS at 5.