
DATE: Tuesday, October 7, 1997              TAG: 9710070042

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E2   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   32 lines

MUSIC AND SHRIMP FEAST TO KICK OFF PEANUT FEST

THE FESTIVAL that celebrates goobers that grow underground will open Thursday in Suffolk with a feast of delicacies from beneath the sea.

The Suffolk Ruritan Club's annual shrimp feast - serving up about 5,000 pounds of it - is the kickoff event of the 20th annual Suffolk Peanut Fest.

Country star Ken Mellons, whose top-10 hits include ``Jukebox Junkie'' and ``Rub-A-Dubbin','' will perform for the feast from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Municipal Airport.

Some lesser known Mellons songs include ``He Ain't Even Cold Yet,'' ``Dr.Jesus,'' and ``He'll Never Be a Lawyer 'Cause He Can't Pass a Bar.''

The food and fun cost $20 - same as last year, when 5,300 people showed up.

Besides the shrimp, there will about 1,800 pounds of barbecue, piles of chicken, fixings and beverages.

The festival runs Thursday through Sunday at the municipal airport. To get to the airport, where the feast is held, just follow the Peanut Fest signs throughout the city. The airport is off U.S. Route 13 South.

Tickets for Thursday's feast are available at these Suffolk locations:

Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, 1002 W. Washington St. 539-2111.

Suffolk Sheriff's Office, 424 N. Main St. 539-5119.

First Federal Savings Bank, 1703 N. Main St. 925-1466.

Leggett's Seafood, 340 N. Main St. 539-5331.

General Rental, 544 E. Constance Road. 539-8731.

Oliver's Grocery, 1328 Holland Road. 539-9789.

Bennett's Creek Pharmacy, 3219 Bridge Road. 483-6966.