'Dancing with Our Stars' coming up

Tuesday, March 1, 2011
The Rotary Club's first-ever Dancing With Our Stars will feature a variety of local celebrities. It will help raise funds for local charities. Courtesy Photo

Local celebrities will be tripping the light fantastic for the Fort Scott Rotary Club's first-ever Dancing with Our Stars, coming up at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 12 in the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center on the Fort Scott Community College campus.

Featuring business and community leaders and local dance professionals, the show includes a variety of dancing styles -- from country to hip-hop and polka to belly dancing -- all for charity.

The idea for the event was inspired by the popularity of the TV show "Dancing With the Stars," Chairwoman Belynda Davenport said.

Dancers include Bob Beckham and Deb McKenney; Bryan Holt and Stacy Berry; Betty Boyko and Geoff Clark; Kathleen Hinrichs and Roger Campbell; Ken Cleary and Nicki Traul; Jim Smith and Sally Cullor; Anyssa Davenport and KEWade Seabolt; Torie Simons and Jared Leek; J.D. Ettore and Diane Thompson; Thomas Nighswonger and Emmah Reeves; and Muriel Whisenhunt and Jim Pitts.

The stars are dancing for charities such as United Way, CASA, Friends of the Fort, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Ronald McDonald House, FSCC Endowment, Backpack for Kids, The Beacon, St. Mary's Catholic School, Friends of the Humane Society and Mercy Cancer Center. Phil Hammons and Megan Felt will be emcees for the show.

"Our big goal ... was to include as many people from the community as we could. We have teachers. We have someone from the hospital. We have someone from Main Street. We have someone from the bank. We have high schoolers, middle schoolers and college (students)," Davenport said.

Prizes will be awarded for Judges' Choice and People's Choice, so those attending will have a chance opportunity to help pick the winners. Donations go to the charity of the winning teams' choice.

Three judges, Susan Stern, Dave Martin and Patty LaRoche will pick the top two performers and then there will be a fan favorite. Each charity will have a table set up in the foyer with a fish bowl.

People can vote by donating to those charities and the squad with the most will be the people's choice, Davenport said.

Each charity keeps whatever funds are in their fishbowl, Davenport added.

Tickets for the event are on sale now for $10 each at the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce; Ellis Fine Arts Center (Jill Warford); or Country Cupboard.