Get ready to dance the night away at the seventh J.B. Hunt Scholarship Gala, which will be held 9 p.m. Monday, Dec. 24, at the Cinema.

The annual event reunites members of The Exotics in Orangeburg, offering fans a chance to enjoy a night of great entertainment and raise money for the J.B. Hunt Scholarship awarded each year to aspiring musicians.

Individual tickets for the gala are $30, and reserved tables of eight are available for $240. Scholarships are awarded at the band's annual Scholarship Banquet.

The Exotics, one of the most sought-after bands of the late 1960s and early '70s, had a hit song, "Boogaloo Investigator," and played back-up for some of the biggest names in the industry during its heyday--Marvin Gaye, Peaches and Herb, ZZ Hill and Clarence Carter, just to name a few

The J.B. Hunt Scholarship is given in honor of long-time Orangeburg music instructor James B. Hunt, who served as the first and only band director at Wilkinson High School, the first band director at Sharperson and Belleville junior high schools and Brookdale Middle School and organizer and director of the first band at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School. The original Exotics members were among his students.

In addition to the scholarship, proceeds from the Christmas Eve gala will go toward creating music libraries for middle school band programs in Orangeburg County.

Tickets for the Reunion Dance are available at Jamison's Pharmacy, Goldstein's or from any member of The Exotics. Jamison's Pharmacy, however, is the only outlet for reserved table tickets. Reserved table tickets are also available from Exotics members.

T&D Staff Report

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