Leah Penny, the 15-year-old fiddler, mandolinist, and vocalist with North Carolina bluegrass gospel group, The Penny Family, has achieved a most notable honor. On Saturday, October 9, she was inducted as the youngest ever member of the North Carolina Coon Hunters Hall of Fame.
This past weekend was the annual meeting of the Association, which also includes a dog show, a championship coon hunt, and the Hall of Fame presentations. Leah was inducted in the Show category, for the many fine dogs she has raised and shown through the NCCHA during her young life.
Leah’s dad, Brent, who plays guitar and sings with the family band, told us that he had received a call with the information that she would be inducted, but it seemed so unlikely that he didn’t tell her, in case it wasn’t real. So it was a total surprise to Leah when her name was called on Saturday afternoon.
Brent shared some more about her interest in hunting and hunting dogs.
“Leah grew up deer hunting and coon hunting with me since she was very young. She has raised champion coonhounds for years, training them herself, and competing all over. For the past three years in a row, Leah has had one of her dogs in the top 10 in the country in the United Kennel Club. What an accomplishment for her age!”
And Leah shared her reaction to being named.
“I’m still in shock. The reality of getting into the NCCHA Hall of Fame has not truly sunk in yet.
This win has been five years in the making. Back in 2021, I attended my first coonhound bench show at a competition coon hunt with my dad. I handled one of my dad’s hunting-bred coonhounds. After that show I discovered a love for showing coonhounds. I showed my dad’s coonhounds for a while before I decided that I wanted my own show bred coonhounds. In the summer of 2022 I purchased my own show bred coonhound, an English male named Rocky. Since then I have acquired many more coonhounds.
I have bred them and raised litters of puppies that have gone on to do very well.
Through the years we’ve done some winning and some losing, but overall it has been a lot of fun.
Lastly I would like to say thank you to everyone who has encouraged me and helped me out along that way.”
Well done, young lady, and congratulations on this honor!
You can learn more about The Penny Family and their music online.
