The Cypress Center was packed to capacity Saturday night as citizens from across the county came to see their hometown version of “Dancing with the Stars.”
From county officials to staid bankers to law enforcement officials to educators, leaders from all walks of life brought their versions of everything from the samba, the rumba, the cha cha and the west coast swing and lots more in between for the enjoyment of their audience.
Under the leadership of Cheryl Wingard of the Turbeville Community Association, 14 dancing couples featuring a professional dancer and a local “celebrity” took to the dance floor.
And on top of the outstanding entertainment the dancers provided, it was all to benefit two very important causes in the Clarendon community.
Net proceeds from Dancing with the Clarendon County Stars will be evenly divided between the Turbeville Free Will Baptist Children’s Home and Clarendon Habitat for Humanity.
Money was raised from the sale of tickets to Saturday night’s extravaganza, as well as by $10 a piece “votes” for favored couples.
At the end of the night, when the “vote” count was done, Clarendon Health System CEO Ed Frye, along with his dancing pro partner, Donna Prothro, were declared winners for their fund raising efforts with their sexy samba.
“I am so looking forward to presenting each of our benefactors with substantial checks from this event,” said Wingard. “The Children’s Home is near and dear to me as I grew up across the road from the Home and often played with the children there. We are about to begin building our first Habitat home in Turbeville. Both of the charities are worthy of this effort.”
But it wasn’t just about the money Saturday night.
A team of professional judges scored each dance performance and named County Treasurer Matt Evans and his pro partner, Amanda Kinseth “the best,” for their sensuous tango.
All of the judges were veteran ballroom dancers and judges. They were Jerrry Foutz, Rev. Carol Pagelsen and Joyce Davison, all of Myrtle Beach and Steve Robertson of Conway.
“I am truly impressed with the caliber of talent we have here tonight,” said Foutz during the intermission. “This far exceeds what I expected.”
An early estimate of gross proceeds for the event was $65,000, said Pat Goodwin of the Community Association.
“We still have t-shirt and koozie money to count and we are still taking orders for the DVD of Saturday night’s performance,” he said.
To reserve your copy of the Dancing with the Clarendon County Stars DVD, professionally shot and edited by Doug Gardner and Eddie Keels of 3-2-1 Video Productions, call the Town of Turbeville Town Hall at (843) 659-2781.
