LINCOLNTON, N.C. - Lincolnton hosted its own twist of Dancing With The Stars, Dancing With Our Stars, on Saturday night to raise money for the Lincoln Cultural Center.
The event had been done five years ago by Communities in Schools, and Cathy Davis had the fantastic idea to revive it. She thought it fitting to hold it last Saturday, seeing as how it was the National Day of Dance.
The emcee for the night was DeAndre Easter, also known under her pageant title as, “Miss Belmont.” She also performed "Coming Home" by Sean Combs to honor veterans.
Erica Miller, 2013 Apple Queen, gave a special dance performance during the night, which she dedicated to her mother.
The eight couples each had jars that the audience could put money in to vote for their favorite duo. The winning couple, Holly Perkins and John James Jr., raised $1,085. The money went to help support activities at the Lincoln Cultural Center that the public is able to enjoy at no cost.
Coming in second place was Neil and Joanna Underwood, former employees in the arts department of the Lincoln County School System.
Kim Noles, Nikki Gregory, Gwen Reep, Kelly Barker and Erica Miller were dance instructors for the couples.
The competing couples were Becky Reavis and Jamal Farley, Neil and Joanna Underwood, Abby Cole and Ryan Heavner, Jennifer and Travis Sinclair, Cynthia and Michael Hoffman, Pete and April DeGregory, Dustin and Sonja Richardson, and Holly Perkins and John James Jr.
The judges included Mayor Ed Hatley, Sherry Reinhardt and Jason Harpe.
Davis hopes to make this an annual event, always scheduling it on the National Day of Dance. She feels that the community and Lincoln Cultural Center benefitted from the event.
Davis said, “I’m just so grateful for the willing couples, who were just so willing to step outside of their box.”
Holly Perkins, involved with Downtown Development, the Lincoln Theatre Guild and promotions with DDA, was a part of the winning duo. Her teammate, John James Jr., said: “We love it. We worked hard, made it happen, lotta changes came up really close to the end, but we made it work, and it turned out great. I love it. I love it.”
Abby Cole and Ryan Heavner, one of the couples that performed, both work with the city and help plan events downtown.
Heavner said: “We’re just big supporters of the community. We want to see Lincolnton be on the map. We hope they continue doing events like this, and people come out to support it. It’s a big positive thing.”
---Melissa Cordell graduated from Lincolnton High School and is currently studying Journalism and Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a nature and coffee enthusiast and enjoys warm weather. If you have a story idea for Melissa please let us know by emailing us at [email protected].
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