Fundraiser designed to help golf course
-Angie Steffen Randolph Times
RANDOLPH — The Randolph Golf Board and other community members dedicated to the local golf course have joined together to host the Dueling Piano event Feb. 15 to raise funds for the facility.
Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. The meal will be served at 6:30 p.m., and the show will start at approximately 8 p.m., and is estimated to last until around midnight.
"Come enjoy the evening. The golf course is a valuable asset to the community. It is a great place to come and socialize. We would sure like to keep the golf course going as it is good for the town and all ages,'' said Bill Schmit, one of the event organizers. "We have had a lot of support from the community. The board appreciates the community and the city standing behind the golf course. It is a night out on the town on Valentine's weekend. It will be a good time with fun for any adult young and old.''
The company entertaining in Randolph is from Ohio.
"The show has been popular around this area. This is the same company that came for the auditorium fundraising event. They are excited to come back," Schmit said. "They play all kinds of music. They get around and get people involved. They entertain. It is a really fun event. Everyone had a really good time at the auditorium event. We heard nothing but praise for how they entertain with the crowd.''
Dueling pianos is a form of entertainment, with two pianos, each played by a professional player who sings and entertains.
The show will involve humor and audience participation. The show will be styled after the popular piano bars and most of the songs performed are rock and roll, classic rock, Top 40, R&B, or country. The modern format originated in late 1986 at Alley Cats in Dallas, Texas, and was based on the old-style dueling pianos still found at Pat O'Brien's Bar in New Orleans.
The comedy-based dueling piano show includes pianists singing and playing everything from Jimmy Buffet, Garth Brooks, Maroon 5, Billy Joel, Tom Petty, Jerry Lee Lewis, Disney, Bruno Mars, Elvis, Madonna, Metallica and just about anything else. The show is a clap-a-long, sing-a-long with roasts, and comedy.
"We decided to do the fundraiser out of necessity. The golf course has been short on money as expenses keep going up. We wanted to find a way to keep from raising membership rates so we decided to have a fundraiser,'' said Schmit. "We are also having a bucket auction. People buy tickets to put in the bucket for items on the auction, then one ticket is drawn as the winner.''
Planning has involved a number of people, however Schmit and Mike Strathman appeared before the city council at a recent meeting to discuss the golf fundraiser set for Feb. 15.
"We had 10 to 12 people at the planning meeting and set up into committees,'' Strathman said. "No tickets will be sold at the door. If we sell all the seats, we may make more than $5,000.''
Although difficult to predict the result of the event, an estimated 250 seats are available.
