Center For Cultural Events

Talent show opens United Way Drive

Written by Staff Reports

Wednesday, 26 August 2009 00:30

UBURN — Local singers, bands, instrumentalists and dancers will hit the DeKalb Outdoor Theater stage Friday at 7:30 p.m. for the United Way of DeKalb County’s free talent concert, “Maybe We Could Change Things.”

The event will serve as a kickoff for the United Way’s annual campaign, which will run through Thanksgiving.

Throughout the campaign, the United Way will raise money for its 23 social-service agencies, which strive to meet the needs of DeKalb County residents, from food to health care.

Each of the United Way’s 23 agencies will be represented at the concert.

Miss Indiana 2008 Meagan Meadors and Josh Littlejohn will emcee the event.

Meadors is a 2004 graduate of DeKalb High School and now works as an occupational therapist near Indianapolis.

Littlejohn, a 2005 graduate of DeKalb High School, now works for Webstream Productions in Indianapolis. He films sporting events that are later broadcast on the Internet. He was active in the school’s show choir and starred as Will Rogers in “Will Rogers Follies,” and as the Cat in the Hat in “Seussical.”

Event organizers Kent and Shelley Johnson of Auburn said they are excited about the event and having so many talented performers return to Auburn to promote the United Way’s message to Live United.

“Both Shelley and I believe that community is important. We’ve always tried to give as much back as we think the community has given us. Helping with the United Way is just kind of an extension of that,” Kent Johnson said. “This has been an exciting project for both Shelley and I to work on, and we’re excited to see the outcome.”

Performers include:

• Cassie Carnahan of Butler, who currently is in “The Apple Tree,” will sing “Raise the Roof”; 

• Miss Indiana Outstanding Teen 2008 Megan Thwaites of Garrett will sing “My Strongest Suit”; 

• Lindsay Winslow Brown and Betsy Rodecap-Kurtz, both of Auburn, will sing “Heal the Wound” by Point of Grace; 

• Eileen Myers of Auburn will sing an original song, “Girl in Love,” written by Auburn native Tom Michael; • The Aaron Miller Band of Waterloo, a group comprised of DeKalb High School senior band members, will play “American Band” and “Long Train Running”;

• Miss Northeast 2008 Allie Gurtner of Waterloo will sing “Hero”; • Jen Flueckigerof Fort Wayne will dance to “Fever”; 

• Staff Sgt. Alex Klopfenstein of Waterloo will sing “Mr. Cellophane”; 

• Miss American Outstanding Teen Top 10 finalist and DeKalb High School senior Lydia Daley will sing “Astonishing”; 

• DeKalb High School junior Eric Williamsof Auburn will sing “Blue Eyes”; 

• Courtney Ley of Auburn will dance to “Shut Up and Let Me Go”; 

• University of Saint Francis student Kaitlin Danielsof Butler will sing“Taylor the Latte Boy; 

• Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne student Dane Curtisof Auburnwill sing “Don’t Blink; 

• Miss Garrett 2009 Kaitlin Karr will dance to “Knock on Wood”; 

• Almost Daybreak, a group comprised of DeKalb High School juniors, will play “Sticky Like New Orleans; and • Shelly Thompson of Garrett will sing a capella Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come.”

                                                                                                 Meagan Meadors and Josh Littlejohn