By By KEVIN SCOTT CUTLER
Lifestyles & Features Edito
The much-anticipated release of this year’s Dancing With OUR Stars DVD has been scheduled, and the Turnage Theater is hosting a viewing party to mark the occasion.
The event has been set for Oct. 29, beginning at 7 p.m. Admission is $5 per person, and those proceeds go to the theater. DVD sales will benefit Eagle’s Wings, a United Way agency that has sponsored the Dancing With OUR Stars fundraiser for two years.
This year’s event, held Aug. 29 in the Washington High School Performing Arts Center, raised a little more than $36,000 from ticket sales and donations for the ministry, according to Eagle’s Wings Executive Director Debbie Adams.
“That was mostly in ticket sales,” Adams said. “If we had not moved to a larger venue, we wouldn’t have made it. The economy affected donations this year.”
Eagle’s Wings decided to move the fundraising event to the high school after the 2008 show resulted in two sold-out performances at the Turnage, which seats far less than the performing arts center. Organizers were pleased when the grand finale sold out this year, and the afternoon dress rehearsal was then opened to the public for a price, Adams said.
The contestants, including local community “stars” and trained dancers, began preparing for this year’s event in June. Collectively, they put in “hundreds of hours of volunteer time,” Adams said.
The 2009 DWOS winner and two runners-up were determined by donations made in honor of the performers. Taking top honors were Dr. Marc Rucquoi and dance partner Kiki Hampton; second place went to Russell Smith and third place was awarded to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Department.
Other “stars” featured during this year’s show include members of the Washington Police Department, Neva Cashion, Gennia Wetherington, David McLawhorn, Pam Nuckols, Marcus Jones, Catherine Glover, Ray Moore, Debbie Ainsworth, Reggie Baker, Sean Nathan, Vinnie Cilluffo, Ed Moultrie, Daniel Bergevin, Michael Bilbro and Billy Weaver.
Dancers taking part were Shelley Gentner, Will Reising, Megan McLawhorn, Jeff Jakub, Jeremy Watson, Caroline Phillips, Gayle Watson-Roper, Will Mayo, Shannon Reising, Kiki Hampton, Melissa Smith, Galina Panova, Janet Cox, Susan Sizemore, Laurie Weston, Staci Hardison and McKenna Cox.
All 19 of this year’s acts will be featured on the DVD, Adams said.
DVDs may be preordered by sending a check payable to Eagle’s Wings (be sure to note “DVD” in the memo line), P.O. Box 426, Washington, N.C. 27889. Copies of the DVD will be sold at the Turnage the night of the release party.
Eagle’s Wings, now in its 20th year, addresses the needs of the hungry and impoverished in Beaufort County. A celebratory concert marking the organization’s anniversary is planned for Oct. 11 at 2:30 p.m. at the Grand Ole Gospel &Classic Country Theater in Chocowinity. Tickets for that event are $5 and may be purchased at the theater by calling 252-975-2117.
For more information about Eagle’s Wings and its mission, visit www.eagles-wings.org.