‘All Local Talent’ show benefit on Sunday

Published 12:16 am Friday, September 20, 2019

 

NATCHEZ — A benefit concert for the American Cancer Society is set to take the stage this Sunday at Stanton Hall featuring all local talent.

Sunday’s “All Local Talent” show starts at 4 p.m. at Stanton Hall where white wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served followed by an after-party at the Stanton Hall Guest House, said Team Natchez cheerleader, Mary Lessley.

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Sunday’s show is the third in a series of four concerts put on by Team Natchez in the “Real Men Wear Pink” campaign — a fundraising contest where teams across the region are represented by men wearing the color for breast cancer awareness.

Admission is $25 at the door and all proceeds will be donated to the American Cancer Society, Lessley said.

“It’s going to be a wonderful concert,” Lessley said. “We want everyone to come out and support this wonderful cause. We’ve all been touched by cancer in some way, whether through a friend or family member. We can’t do enough to help out, because you never know when it could be one of us.”

Lessley said she would perform “Somewhere” from the musical West Side Story accompanied by Darryl Day, music director at First Presbyterian Church in Natchez.

Also taking the stage will be the 2019 Real Man in Pink for Team Natchez, Rev. Kevin Deason of New Direction Ministries as well as the 2018 Real Man in Pink, Dan Gibson.

Other performers include Burnley Cook, Derrick Burst, Butch King, Tracy McCartney, Tim Free, Kari Hobbs and Jessica and Kujuan Hawkins as well as a solo performance by Cathedral High School junior, Ashley Johnson.

During the show, a silent auction will also take place and the winners announced during a Broadway music finale Oct. 27 at Monmouth, Lessley said.

“We have a wide collection — overnight accommodations, gift baskets and a lot of service-oriented items donated by local businesses,” she said.

In addition to the concerts, the Team Natchez campaign is also being supported by pumpkin decorating contests hosted at local Miss-Lou hospitals and clinics where patrons cast their vote on the best-decorated pumpkin in exchange for their donation.

“Riverland Medical Center in Ferriday raised over $2,000 for the American Cancer Society last year, so this year they’ve asked other neighboring hospitals and clinics to join the cause,” Lessley said.

Lessley said the last leg of the Team Natchez’s Real Man Wear Pink race will be a Trick or Treating fundraiser Halloween night in Downtown Natchez.

Last year, Team Natchez contributed nearly $36,000 to the American Cancer Society and hopes to top those results this year, Lessley said.

“Team Natchez came in second for the state of Mississippi and came in 16th in the nation out of 3,300 teams who participated in the 2018 campaign,” Lessley said. “We were so excited and pleased with that result. I don’t know how much we’ll raise this year, but I hope we’ll be right up there again.”