Alonzo Pennington and his band will perform the night before Thanksgiving at Casey Jones Distillery’s third annual FriendsGiving event.
It’s billed as the answer to, “Friends in town? Looking for something to do before the big Thanksgiving meal?” said Peg Hays, who runs the distillery with her husband, A.J. Jones.
The distillery will open at 10 a.m., and Holiday Burgers’ food truck will begin serving at 5:30 p.m. Then Alonzo and Friends will play from 6:30 to 10 p.m.
Pennington, who goes by the nickname Zo, plays a mix of blues, country and Americana music. He is a three-time International Thumbpicking Contest grand champion.
His style is described as “take a smattering of vintage Merle Travis, a dash of Stevie Ray Vaughan, a spoonful of Waylon Jennings, and a pinch of Tommy Emmanuel, throw them all into a big old pot and you’ve got Alonzo Pennington.”
Pennington, 39, of Princeton, has been performing since he was 13 years old. His label is Soul-Trax Records. He’s the son of renowned thumbpicker Eddie Pennington.
The distillery is at 2815 Witty Lane, which is off Princeton Road about 5 miles west of downtown Hopkinsville.
There’s no admission charge for FriendsGiving, and it’s a “family-friendly” event, said Hays.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
