Ball celebrates redneck culture

Community members dusted off their best overalls and straw hats last weekend for the eighth annual Redneck Ball, a fundraiser for the Trout Creek Community Improvement Association (TCCIA). The event was held Saturday evening at Lakeside Resort.

The variety show was full of hilarious entertainment. Dave and Deb Oliver, along with Keith Myers, made up the Awesome Possum Band and led the crowd in a sing-along to redneck favorites. "Cowboy" Doug Grimm, in a flowy mullet wig and overalls, joined the trio on stage later in the show to sing a few songs.

As the show started, Dave Oliver led the crowd in the Redneck Pledge, having them recite statements like "I admit that I eat beans on Friday night so I can take a bubble bath on Saturday night and blame it on the dog."

After a brief hiatus, the "Tammy Whynotts" – Chris Magdalene and Jen Strine – were back on stage, performing parodies to popular songs. The duo said they had gone south for a couple years, then opened their set with a version of "All My Exes Live in Texas" in which they sang that they hang their crowns in Trout Creek at the end of the chorus.

"This year's event was amazing, filled with great entertainment and a lot of enthusiasm from the crowd," said TCCIA President Liz Stender. "We sold nearly 140 tickets and raised over $10,000 for future events and park projects."

New to the stage this year were the "Hissy Fits" – Serena Pearson, Juleah Ryder and Rob Viens – who sang and danced. Viens accompanied Pearson and Ryder on the piano as they sang classics including "Anything You Can Do" from "Annie Get Your Gun," as well as the classic redneck ballad "Redneck Woman."

While they didn't sing, one of the most entertaining moments of the evening was a performance by the "Dancy Chicks." Patty English, Jan Manning and Debbie Wilson donned inflatable chicken costumes that made it appear as if they were riding chickens, complete with reins to control the chickens, and danced on stage.

The evening wasn't just about silly entertainment. Auctioneer Kevin Hill once again donated his time to help raise money for TCCIA through a live auction. The Redneck Ball tradition is to hold a sort of reverse auction, where not-so-great items are brought out first and as Hill took bids, emcee Don Manning continuously told volunteers to "bring out something better" until a larger prize was revealed. For instance, one auction item started with the Tammy Whynotts presenting a rubber chicken, but the bidding built up to a barbecue grill being rolled out. Another auction item started with a chef's hat and ended with a pizza oven.

The fundraising for the evening also included bucket raffles for items donated by area individuals and businesses, as well as raffle sales for two revolvers, a heads-or-tails game and a balloon raffle in which the winner received a diamond ring. A costume contest was held during the show in which judges picked their favorite outfits of the evening. Doc Milham won the redneck costume contest, while Laurie Traver and Serena Pearson tied for the best "redneckette" costume, as Manning called it.