Audience members will be able to find out for themselves whether the phrase “Williamston’s Got Talent” is true at a talent show fundraiser at 7 p.m. on February 18 at the Caroline Community Center in Williamston.
More than 30 people auditioned for the show and that group has been narrowed down to 20 performers from all over Anderson, Abbeville, and Greenville counties. On the night of the show, they will perform before a panel of local celebrity judges and compete for cash prizes.
The celebrity judges are Lawann Neely, a gospel artist and winner of the 2011 Spiritfest Legends competition, Anthony Gresham, a gospel music recording artist, Kenneth Dean, pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Belton, Williamston Mayor Carthel Crout, and The Journal Editor David Meade.
FOX Carolina news reporter Will Jones will be the host for the evening.
The top prize is $200, and the second and third place winners will receive $100 and $50 respectively.
The Caroline Community Center, managed by the Williamston Action Community Club, is a haven for the area’s senior citizens, where they attend daily fitness and nutrition programs and community meetings and events. During the summer, the WACC also hosts a free summer camp for area children.
“The community center has been a place where residents of the Williamston community could feel safe and appreciated while improving their quality of life,” said Ted Mattison, longtime director of the center.
The talent show will raise money to help the center keep its doors open and continue to provide these critical programs. PlanIt! Upstate, an event-planning company that organizes fundraisers for nonprofit organizations, is presenting the show.
“The response for the show has been tremendous,” said Samantha Harris, marketing director for PlanIt! Upstate. “Tickets are selling quickly, and we expect to have a packed house. Many of the participants are incredibly talented.”
To purchase tickets, which are $10, call PlanIt! Upstate at (864) 659-0549.
