Good Records co-founder Chris Penn, who died in April weeks after a life-altering injury, will be memorialized next Thursday at Old City Park in Dallas, his wife, Jenn, shared.
The public event, running from 5 p.m. through sunset, will feature food, surprise acoustic performances and “nuggets of nostalgia” drawing from Penn’s past. Dickies coveralls, a go-to outfit choice for Penn, according to Jenn, are suggested for the dress code.
Penn opened Dallas’ Good Records with The Polyphonic Spree frontman Tim DeLaughter in 2000.
The record store, now located on Garland Road, has grown into a beloved haunt for vinyl-seeking music lovers and a cozy pseudo-concert venue for countless native-grown talents to perform such as St. Vincent and Erykah Badu.
In March, as Penn was removing a decal from Good Records’ storefront window, he fell backwards. He suffered damage to his spinal cord, becoming paralyzed from the neck down and later succumbing to his injuries. He was 54.
Previously, Jenn Penn announced the memorial would take place at Winfrey Point, a scenic landmark at the eastern tip of White Rock Lake.
After her husband would close at Good Records, Jenn often picked him up to get a bite from nearby fast food joints and they would then make the short drive over to the lake.
“I always have picnic blankets in the back of my car,” she said. “We’ve got three sons. It didn’t ever really matter how old they got — anytime we talked about grabbing something and going to Winfrey Point, everybody was game. It’s a very meaningful area of the city for us.”
A booking mix-up, however, led to the memorial’s venue change. In an email, director of Dallas Park and Recreation John D. Jenkins explained another party had the May 15 reservation at Winfrey Point, but it was not transferred properly in the department’s system. The other group could not adjust its event.
City officials proposed alternative sites including Old City Park.
“It was a human error,” Jenn Penn said. She’s at peace with the new location, describing it as “way more befitting” of her husband due to its increased capacity.
“He wanted a party. He didn’t want a funeral.”
She wants anyone who felt that Chris was a part of their lives to be able to celebrate him.
“Most importantly — this is what drives all my decisions — I want my kids to see a billion people show up.”
