The Appalachian Wireless Arena presents: Rodney Carrington

Country comedian and musician Rodney Carrington brings his stand-up routine to Pikeville, November 7, 2020. Tickets go on-sale Friday, July 17 at 10:00 a.m., and will be available on www.ticketmaster.com.

VIP packages are also available (limited availability). We will be following all state guidelines from health department and updates they provide leading up to the show (for example, masking and other measures that are set in place). Seats will be arranged in pods of single seats, and by 2’s, 3’s and 4’s.

Mature audiences only!

About Rodney

Rodney Carrington is a multi-talented comedian, actor, singer and writer playing sold-out shows around the world as one of the top 10 highest-grossing touring comedians for the past two decades.

A platinum-recording artist, Rodney’s recorded eight major record label comedy albums, followed by three albums on his own record label, Laughter’s Good Records. His last album “Here Comes the Truth” (released 2017) climbed to #3 on the comedy charts, accruing tens of millions of streams on Spotify and even spawned a Netflix special.

Rodney broke through with his major label comedy CD debut “Hangin’ With Rodney” in 1998. The next few years saw nine more Top 10 comedy albums: Live, Morning Wood, Nutsack, Greatest Hits, King of the Mountains, El Nino Loco, C’mon Laugh You Bastards, Laughter’s Good and The Hits, all of which continue to receive radio airplay and regularly place on the national comedy charts. “Hangin’ With Rodney” and “Morning Wood” earned RIAA gold record certification, and his Greatest Hits (a double CD) album reached platinum status. Rodney also released “Make it Christmas” which features his original song “Camouflage and Christmas Lights,” a tribute to our military.

Rodney also added “author” to his list of accomplishments with the release of his book “Rodney Carrington, Coming Clean” published by Hatchette Books.

Over the years, he’s starred in his own TV sitcom, “Rodney”, which ran for two seasons * on ABC, co-wrote and co-starred with Toby Keith in the feature film, “Beer for My Horses,” which won the Tex Ritter Award from the ACM, and starred in his own Netflix special “Here Comes The Truth.” Rodney’s also appeared on countless other TV shows, including the ACA (American Country Awards), hosting the American Country New Year’s Eve Live show on FOX, and won “Supporting Character of the Year” from the CMT Music Video Awards for his appearance on the Trace Adkins’ music video “I Got My Game On.”

Rodney is fresh off the release of his latest album, “Get Em Out,” which hit #1 on iTunes, and is gearing up for a year of touring in 2020!

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Pikeville History Moments: Poet Effie Waller Smith

Below is an excerpt found on the YouTube page for this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx28A4GOeME&t=70s

Effie Waller Smith was born to two former slaves and became one of the first female African American poets to be published in a national literary magazine. She was born and raised near Pikeville, Kentucky. There she taught school, wrote and published poetry, made influential friends, and explored the Breaks of the Big Sandy–sometimes called the Grand Canyon of the South. She moved to Wisconsin in her late 30s, then adopted a deceased friend’s daughter. The last years of her life were spent with her adopted daughter, Ruth, in Neenah, Wisconsin.

Please consider following Pikeville History Moments on YouTube.

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Getting Involved: Hatfield McCoy Historic Sites Need Your Help

Perhaps the greatest draw for Pike County, Kentucky is the legendary sites of the Hatfield McCoy Feud. These sites, which include the Hog Trail Cabin (known as the “Preacher Anse” Cabin), the McCoy Homeplace and Well, the Hatfield Cemeteries, Dils Cemetery (resting place of the McCoys), and an assortment of other sites all carry with them not only incredible history, but also great responsibility.

Devil-Anse

Recently, Pike County Tourism CVB, along with volunteers, prepared these sites for Memorial Day weekend. This was no small task, which involved not only financial investment, but also labor; weed eating, mowing, cleaning, raking, pressure washing staircases, and placing wreathes. Given the financial hardship bought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, such an investment has taken its toll on our budget, and although we remain optimistic for our local tourism industry’s recovery, we are looking for ways to keep these precious sites beautiful going forward.

This would be a perfect time for you to get involved, especially if you are a descendant of the Hatfields and/or McCoys. Pike County Tourism has always cherished our relationship with the Hatfields and McCoys, some of which have dedicated time and money to boosting tourism in our region, and keeping the feud story alive for many to experience and learn from.

How Can You Help?

In Pike County Tourism CVB’s over 27 years of service to these sites, we have never asked for help. However, given the circumstances, we are in need of help to maintain these wonderful sites.

Baby-Grave
Roseanna’s Baby’s Grave

There are three ways in which you can get involved:

Make an online donation: Click below to make a secure donation online with PayPal. A PayPal account is not required. This donation will be used to offset spending for Hatfield McCoy Feud Sites’ upkeep.

Donate

Volunteer your time: Not all donations need be monetary. Contact us by phone (606) 432-5063, or by email if you would like to arrange a time to volunteer at one of our historic sites. We would love to work with you.

Mail in a donation: Feel free to mail a check of any amount, made out to Pike County Tourism CVB, P.O. Box 1497, Pikeville, KY, 41501.

The 2020 Hatfield McCoy Historic Sites Cleanup

Thank you to all of our supporters for volunteering time and resources to this project.

Giving Back, a Message From McCoy Descendant Ron McCoy

“Cleaning our cemeteries is more than a responsibility or obligation. It is a privilege and an opportunity to honor our heritage in a tangible way.  For me, working in our cemeteries has always been a moving and personal experience. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt closer to my ancestors than when I’ve had a rake or shovel in my hand” said Ron McCoy, direct descendant of Randolph McCoy.

Each year, McCoy, along with many other descendants of both the Hatfields and the McCoys, visit Pike County, Kentucky, not only to reconnect with these historic sites, but to restore them. Without their volunteered time, upkeep of these sites would otherwise be impossible.

“Pike County’s historic cemeteries are more than just family memorials. They are cultural heritage sites,” said McCoy. “When we work together to maintain our cemeteries, we are preserving our mutual heritage as well as honoring the lives of those who came before us.”

Volunteer opportunities are available throughout the year, and are not limited to Hatfield and/or McCoy descendants, buy anyone who has a love for the history.

“Volunteer participation and support is vital in maintaining and conserving our cemeteries. Most cemeteries in Pike County are privately held and therefore are not supported by public funds. They are maintained through the efforts of hard-working volunteers who offer their time, labor and money to ensure that our cemeteries are preserved for future generations. “  

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Photoblog: Hillbilly Days of Yesteryear

Pikeville Hillbilly Days is one of Kentucky’s most attended festivals, being one of the state’s first festivals of the (mostly) warm months of the year. Hillbilly Days is known for its outlandish character, wide assortment of vendor booths, and charm that has endured for over 40 years. Most importantly, Hillbilly Days is also a fundraiser for the Shriners Hospital for Children in Lexington, Kentucky, a hospital that serves disabled children in the Eastern Kentucky region, among many other areas.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has shut down pretty much all festivals in the state of Kentucky for the foreseeable future, it still doesn’t hurt to reminisce on the Hillbilly Days festivals of yesteryear. Let’s take a look at some photos from previous Hillbilly Days festivals.

Pikeville Hillbilly Days Gallery

Buy Hillbilly Days Merch & Support the Children’s Hospital

Despite being cancelled, Hillbilly Days 2020 merchandise is still available. Purchase collectables for the Hillbilly Days that never was by contacting Robert Adkins at 606-899-9030, or message him on facebook. Hillbilly Days Shirts are $12.00, button pins (white) are $1.00, patches, lapel pins and knives are $5.00 each. Shirts available in adult small thru 3x and youth and infant onesies. Don’t allow COVID-19 to prevent you from showing your support for the Shriners Hospital for Children.

More Hillbilly Days Resources

Wanting to keep track of the updates concerning Hillbilly Days? Follow our Pikeville Hillbilly Days facebook page, or visit www.HillbillyDays.com for updates. As of this writing, Hillbilly Days 2020 has been cancelled, and has yet to be rescheduled. However, it doesn’t hurt to check back from time to time to see if things have changed. You never know.

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Photo Blog Series: Beautiful Pike County, KY – Jeffery Justice

We continue our photo blog series “Beautiful Pike County, KY” with a sampling of photographer Jeffery Justice’s excellent camera work. Justice has dedicated his career to supporting economic growth in Eastern Kentucky, serving as a business and innovation champion at SOAR Innovation, a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting innovation-driven small businesses and entrepreneurs in Appalachia Kentucky.

Justice has also worked in the area of tourism in Eastern Kentucky by capturing some of the many amazing events Pikeville-Pike County has hosted over the years. Justice has a knack for capturing the human experience in his photography, with a visual impact that tells a story all its own. Be sure to check out his gallery below, and reach out to him if you are looking for photography commissions.

Jeffery Justice Gallery

Jeffery Justice

Feel free to reach out to Justice for commission requests.

Subjects:  Nature, Architecture, Culture, Tourism
E-mail: Click here
Phone: 859-779-8282