Organizers are gearing up for the 13th annual Pennington Festival, set to take place the first week of June on the Butler Campus in downtown Princeton
Committee members met Monday night to begin preparing for the festival, which draws thousands of music lovers to Princeton each year.
“I hope the community will start getting as excited as we are,” said Stacey Menser of the Pennington Festival Committee of the Princeton Art Guild.
“Every year the festival seems to grow. We have seen more and more businesses and civic organizations plan events to coincide with the festival and we hope to see that again this year.
“This is truly becoming a community event, and something we feel that everyone can be proud of.”
The festival is named in honor of local musician Eddie Pennington, who is nationally recognized as one of the greatest living thumbpicking guitarists.
Pennington plays an integral role in the festival from the ground up, according to Menser.
“We couldn’t do this festival each year without Eddie and his family,” she said. “Eddie helps book the acts, plan the events and he takes the stage himself to perform.”
Menser said while the festival has drawn some “big name” acts through the years –– The Osborne Brothers, Nickel Creek, John McEuen and Junior Brown –– the main goal of organizers is to bring in performers who have many of the same traits as Eddie Pennington himself.
“We want good people. We want our performers to be as impressive off the stage as they are on the stage,” said Menser.
“We want people like Eddie who are unbelievably talented but also really down to earth and willing to mix and mingle with the crowd.”
Menser said the musical genres offered each year at the festival are varied –– “gospel, bluegrass, funk, you name it.”
“And we will have a wonderful variety this year too,” she said. “Eddie and Alonzo Pennington are making contacts with some talented local, regional and national performers.”
Menser said the official festival line-up will be announced in March.
The festival will begin Thursday, June 3, with the Backstage Square Dance.
Musical acts will begin performing on the main stage Friday, June 4, at 6 p.m.
Musicians will perform throughout the day Saturday, June 5, which will also feature the Pennington Talent Contest and musical workshops.
Menser said festival committee members are talking with another organization about partnering to add a Sunday (June 6) concert to the festival line-up.
“We will know more about that and announce it the first of March,” she said.
The Pennington Festival is a free event. And Menser said it is community support that makes the musical weekend possible.
“We rely on our local sponsors to keep this going each year,” she said. “So we will be asking once again for donations.”
Menser said letters will be mailed to local businesses next week soliciting donations.
Any person wanting to learn more about contributing to the festival, either financially or through services or activities planned to coincide with the 13th annual Pennington Festival, may contact Menser at 625-5886 or email smenser@att.net.
