HAMLET — On Saturday night, nine dancing pairs will participate at Cole Auditorium in Taste of the Sandhills Showcasing Dancing With the Stars, which is Richmond County Hospice’s biggest charitable event of the year.
You can’t go, though, if you don’t already have passes. By September 9, they were all gone.
Julia Woody, who is in charge of public relations, said Wednesday, right after one of the dancers dropped off money, “Our dancers have really done a lot of promotion and fundraising this year.”
This year’s theme is “A Regal Affair,” and Nic Wilkes created costumes and a set that look like they belong in a high society in London in the middle of the 1800s, like the popular show “Bridgerton.”
Like in previous years, Mabry’s Drug and Home Care and other local businesses support Dancing with the Stars. There is a team of sisters, a husband and wife, two mother-daughter teams, and a father-daughter pair.
This year’s teams are:
- Brandy Wheeler and Jessica Wheeler White – sisters
- Heather and Chloe Taylor – mother-daughter
- J.C. and Karen Everett – husband-wife
- Justin McDonald and Brandi Miller
- Katherine and Bayden Bendell – mother-daughter
- Dr. Bill Cleveland and Nicole Blake
- Wayne and Morgan Quinn – father – daughter
- Tyree Brewington and Rahmeishia McKiver
- Meredith Standridge and Allie Coen
Gene and Meghan McKenzie, a father and daughter team, won Judges’ Choice last year. They will be back to perform before the competition starts, along with the other two winning dance pairs.
The event will also have Travis Breen, Eric McCotter, and Kim Menna as judges again.
Besides Judges’ Choice, there are two other areas where you can win:
- People’s Choice – based on the number of votes from the audience
- Hospice Choice – based on how much money each team raised prior to the event
Along with a group from Hospice Haven, Dance Sensations and Bold Moves Dance Company will also put on shows during the breaks.
In Taste of the Sandhills, people who have tickets will be able to try food from a number of local restaurants before the music starts.
Other businesses taking part this year are Axe to Grind, Burger Bros., Gentleman’s Bar, Godfather’s, Hidden Treasures, Los Mariachis Mexican Bar & Grill, Taco Loko, The Grille, The Taco Factory, La Familia, Ansonia Soup Company, and Number 1 Diner.
Mama Blair’s Food Truck, Martiniks Inc. Bakery, Silly Dee’s Cakes, Sweet Tooth Bakery, Captain Larry’s, Riverside Canning, and Kickback Jack’s are some of the places that serve food.
Tea will be served at the event by Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q.
At the start of Act 2, the Tasty Award will be given out.
The event last year brought in $87,000, more than the $80,000 and $60,000 raised the previous two years. The event made $23,000 in its first year. Due to the COVID pandemic, the fundraising had to be put on hold in 2020 and 2021.
Woody said that Hospice doesn’t have a set goal for this year’s fundraising, but they would like to at least match last year’s amount.
Other events coming up for Hospice are the Candy Cavalcade on October 24, Salute to Veterans on November 1, and the lighting of the Forever Tree on November 24.