The story of one of Hopkinsville’s iconic civic groups, Pioneers Inc., will be the topic for the next History on Tap at Hopkinsville Brewing Co.
Wendell Lynch and other members of Pioneers will give the program at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29. The brewery is on Fifth Street between Main and Virginia streets.
Established in 1952 by men in Hopkinsville’s African American community, Pioneers is dedicated to improving the community by helping individuals and by supporting groups that are involved in similar service work.
Throughout its history, the membership of Pioneers has been a “who’s who” of local African-American leaders. Founding members included real estate broker and political leader F.E. Whitney, Attucks basketball coach William Falls, and Clarence Bibbs, who was supervisor of postal operations for the U.S. Postal Service in Hopkinsville.
Many of the early members of Pioneers were involved in local integration and civil rights efforts. Today, the group runs a catering and barbecue business at the Pioneers headquarters on North Main Street that helps finance civic projects.
History on Tap is organized by the Museums of Historic Hopkinsville-Christian County.
There’s no admission. The programs are given upstairs in the brewery.
(Editor’s note: Jennifer P. Brown serves on the governing board of the Museums of Historic Hopkinsville-Christian County.)
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.
