JANUARY 21, 2010 ISSUE
15th Annual Hearts of Hospitality Ball February 6
The 2nd annual Dancing with the Stars competition will be a much-anticipated event at the Hearts of Hospitality Ball on Saturday, February 6. Participating dancers include the High Country Dance Crew, which will perform a hip-hop number and is comprised of dance instructor Haley Walton (front), Bianca Capo, Robin Greene, Carol Anderson and Sharon Rucker (left to right). Not pictured is Rebecca Greene.
(Left) Edie and Fred Milano will dance shag and (right) Cay and Andy Harkins will swing dance.
Gwen Dhing, as Tina Turner, will be the Master of Ceremonies for the ball. 
Robin Lane and Andy Glass will perform the samba, a type of ballroom dance. The 15th annual Hearts of Hospitality Ball on Saturday, February 6, features a night of dinner and dancing from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. at the Helen Powers Grand Hall of the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center in Boone. The event is semi-formal (black-tie optional) and benefits the new Hospitality House shelter.
Tickets are $75 per person, $50 of which is tax-deductible and $25 of which covers the cost of an “elegant buffet dinner,” said Ann Spinetto, event chair.
The price might seem high at first glance, Spinetto said, but pointed out that the $25 cost of a Valentine’s Day dinner is “very reasonable” and that $50 directly impacts neighbors in the High Country who desperately need help.
The Todd Wright Band will provide music, and in addition to dinner and dance contests, a “huge silent auction” featuring getaway packages, restaurant packages, local artisan wares and jewelry will take place, Spinetto said.
The Master of Ceremonies will be Gwen Dhing as Tina Turner, and Kim Kincaid, Jenny Miller and Debbie Glover will be backup singers.
Hospitality House has reached 88 percent of its combined campaign goal of $3 million for the new shelter.
“The [current] shelter is busting at the seams,” Spinetto said. “We need a new shelter desperately.
“As people have experienced the cold and snow this winter, [and] many people have been without electricity and have been very, very cold, think about our neighbors in need,” Spinetto said.
The event is “a fun way to get rid of the winter blahs and do something really great for those in need,” she said, and encouraged interested persons to bring their friends, church groups and other groups to the event.
Four local celebrity dance teams will participate in the ball’s 2nd annual Dancing with the Stars competition:
• Cay and Andy Harkins, Swing
• Edie and Fred Milano, Shag
• Robin Lane and Andy Glass, Samba
• High Country Dance Crew: Haley Walton, Sharon Rucker, Carol Anderson, Robin Greene, Rebecca Greene and Bianca Capo, Hip-Hop
The best performance will be judged by the votes of attendees. One dollar secures one vote, and community members who do not attend the ball can still vote for their favorite couple by sending checks and votes to: Hearts of Hospitality House c/o Rose Bridgeman, 472 Maple Ridge Drive, Boone, N.C. 28607.
After the Dancing with the Stars competition ends, a couples’ dance contest for attendees will take place, set to the song “In the Mood.” Judges will politely tap dancers on the shoulder to leave the floor until a winning couple remains.
Tickets can be purchased at the front desk of Chetola Resort in Blowing Rock, at Boone High Country Bank locations at New Market Center or Shadowline Drive or by calling Rose Bridgeman at 828-264-2733.
Hearts of Hospitality is a volunteer women’s auxiliary club whose purpose is to raise awareness and funds for Hospitality House. The annual ball, hosted by Hearts of Hospitality, is one of the agency’s major fundraising events.
Founded in 1984, Hospitality House is a nonprofit crisis intervention agency that provides shelter and services to the homeless, operates the community soup kitchen and administers WeCAN, the local crisis assistance program. Hospitality House is a High Country United Way agency.
For more information, click to www.hospitalityhouseofboone.org.
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