The annual benefit for the Pines Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), the animal rescue and placement organization, headed by Valerie Perez in the Grove and Lee Frey in the Pines, took place on May 30 at the Ice Palace and an array of Grove stars, donating their services, performed. Sal Piro returned as Executive Producer and DJ Chuck McTague was responsible for music, sound, and lighting.
Introduced by Sal as “the one and only Bella,” Bella, serving as our glamorous MC on the very day she retired from fulltime work, told us about her car accident—she’s okay, but her car was totaled—which occurred when she swerved to avoid hitting a dog. She shared that she’s going to be moving to Florida and that Bruce Jenner would be visiting Cherry Grove.
Singers were the first to perform: Porsche, contributing “All about that Bass” and “Me and Bobby McGee,” to great acclaim, and this writer, doing “Moon River,” from the film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” Bella then did an encore of “Moon River” in—well, I don’t know what language.
A mustachioed, high cowboy-hatted Barbara Hirsch and Linda Dickerman, a veritable siren, were Sonny and Cher declaring, “A Cowboy’s Work Is Never Done.”
Singer Sonny Shores reveled in the S & M of “Dentist,” from “Little Shop of Horrors.”
New Grove Homecoming Queen Demi-Tasse touched us with “Home” and “Believe in Yourself,” from “The Wiz.” Crowd pleasers Ruth and Susan Freedner portrayed the Everly Brothers, doing “Bird Dog” (“Johnny is a joker”) and “Bye Bye Love.”
Mario Scarpa, always a favorite, sang “Luck Be a Lady,” from “Guys and Dolls.”
Gusty Winds bewitched us all with Grace Slick song “Dreams.”
Rose Levine gave us the grand finale, an a cappella “Ten Cents a Dance.”
There was a 50-50 raffle, with Troy Files winning the prize of $870 and donating half back to PAWS and half to the Arts Project of Cherry Grove.
A dessert buffet followed.