Dancing With The Locals 2016
This year's edition of the Plant City Rotary Club's Dancing With the Locals was held November 11th at the Trinkle Center on H.C.C.'s Plant City Campus. The fundraiser, now in it's 9th year, raises money for the Plant City Rotary Foundation. The P.C. Rotary Foundation is the non-profit arm of the Plant City Rotary Club. Funds raised at this event and our other fundraisers go back into our community to support many worthwhile causes. The event provides a fun evening for local residents. They are able to enjoy good food and drink and an entertaining competition between couples from the local area, all while giving back to the community.
Opening remarks were made by Club President Charles Harris. Next, since this night was all about giving back to local charities, President Charles presented a check for $5000 to Mary Heysek. director of the United Food Bank of Plant City.
The Hostess and Emcee for the event were Mark Cook and Casey Phillips. Mark is a Hillsborough County native with experience in radio and print and is currently editor in chief of the Pewter Report where he covers the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a daily basis. Casey, originally from Southlake Texas, has a history of experience in sports broadcasting and is currently the team insider for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Mark Cook and Casey Phillips
Judges for this year's event included Edwena Haney of Hopewell Funeral Home, Paul Davis of the Florida Strawberry Festival and Kelly Davis, a hair and makeup stylist who is also a nationally registered talent and pageant judge. The fourth judge was selected that night by auction. Audience members were invited to bid on the right to be the fourth judge for the event. The winning bid was offered by Darry Dykstra of Dykstra Construciton. Darry and his wife Heather, were the winning couple in the 2015 Dancing With The Locals competition.
The couples competing in the event are from the Plant City and surrounding areas. While some of the individuals have previous dance experience, others where willing to take on the task of learning a dance routine for the first time. Our club provides dance lessons for the couples with local dance instructors in the months leading up to the event. This year we had 10 couples participating.
Couple 1- Shaun & Crystal Bryant
Performing the Waltz and Freestyle
Couple 2 - Chase & Sasha Wetherington
Performing the East Coast Swing
Couple 3 - Beverly Littlejohn & Ivan Grigorov
Performing the Cha Cha
Couple 4 - Ashlyn Yarborough & Bryson Keel
Performing the Fusion East Coast Swing and Hip Hop
Couple 5 - Kayla Drawdy & Kenny Griffin
Performing the Hip Hop and the Swing
Couple 6 - Jillian Wilder & Jason Turner
Performing the Hip Hop and Swing
Couple 7 - Maira Estrada & Dmitry Dvoskin
Performing the Argentine Tango
Couple 8 - Emily Topper & Paul Kittelstad
Performing the Fusion Rumba and Hip Hop
Couple 9 - Nancy Egbert & Mike Johnston
Performing the Vaudeville
Couple 10 - Alex Aponte & Kevin Rios
Performing the Ballroom Dance and Fusion
After each of the couples danced, they were interviewed by the emcee or hostess. The judges thrn made comments on the performances and gave the couples scores. The scores would be used to determine the Judge's Choice Award later in the evening. After all the couples completed their dances an intermission was held. During the intermission attendees had the opportunity to get dessert and to vote for their favorite couples. Voting was completed by donating money on behalf of your favorite couple. This money along with sponsorship money raised by the couples would determine who was the 3rd place, 2nd place and 1st place winner of the event.
After the intermission, attendees returned to their seats for a 50/50 drawing as well as the auction of several items including a Bucaneers football outing for 4, an all day fishing trip and a guitar autographed by Cole Swindell and Luke Bryan. Once again all proceeds of this event go to charity and we appreciated that those bidding were in a charitable mood.
After the auction, all of the dancers were brought back out for the announcement of the night's winners. In a first for Dancing With The Locals, the Judges Choice Award went to 2 couples: Alex Aponte & Kevin Rios and Ashlyn Yarborough & Bryson Keel.
Judges Choice Award Co-Winners- Kevin, Alex, Ashlyn and Bryson
3rd Place was awarded to Nancy Egbert and Mike Johnston.
3rd Place Winners Nancy and Mike
The second place award went to Shaun and Crystal Bryant.
2nd Place Winners Shaun and Crystal
And 1st place was awarded to Ashlyn Yarborough and Bryson Keel.
2016 Dancing With The Locals Winners- Ashlyn and Bryson
with event Co-Chairs Doug Watson and Jody Stevens
As always, the real winners of the night are all those that will receive needed assistance from the funds raised during the event. The event would not be possible without the many sponsors who participate. Sponsors for the event included:
Florida Insurance Center, Minuteman Press, Plant City Lock and Key, Lott/Keel Holdings, Edward Jones-Tim Shuff, MAK2 Industries, Beach House Realty, Jenkins Construction, Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Focus Magazine, Planscape, Ace Realty Advisors, Pec and Dub McGinnes, Advance Care Hospitalists, Jarrett Scott Ford, Dental Designs of Lakeland, Wish Farms, Platinum Bank, Brewington's Towing and Recovery, & R Insurance, Unity In The Community, Intrac Corp, South Florida Baptist Hospital, Catering By The Family, GT Grandstands, HCC, Dental Associates at Walden Woods, Industrial Maintenance Group, Griffin Utilities, Dental Associates of Plant City, Hillsborough Title, Sunshine Bank, and Hopewell Funeral Home & Memorial Gardens.
Additional Sponsors included: George and Cassandra Banning; Chambers Medical Group; Peter A Donelan, M.D.; Family Estate Advisors; Felton's; Florida Mortgage Firm; Florida Strawberry Festival; Fryed Egg Productions; Dustin and Allison Grooms; Hughes Business Consultants; Randy and Chris Larson; Lott Capital LLC; Paradise; Plant City Animal Hospital; Publix; Don Stine Construction; Trinkle, REdman, Coton, Davis and Smith P.A.; Ed & Amanda Vernor and Charles White, P.A.
Thanks to all the dancers and instructors, as well as all the Rotarians who assisted with this event.
Special thanks to the DWTL Committee:
Jodi Stevens - Chairman, Doug Watson - Co-Chair, Carmen Brownlee, Jana Butler, Bill Hughes, Alan Kicklighter, Brett Mueller, Ryan Rollyson, Jim Scott, Steve Smith, Anita Surrency and Jillain Wilder.
