Local talent posing as the famous musical acts Sonny and Cher, Celine Dion, Loretta Lynn and Bruce Springsteen will take to the Stevenson Auditorium stage at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 8, as the Downtown Orangeburg Revitalization Association presents its first-ever "An Evening with the Stars."

Willie Nelson, embodied locally in Limehouse Co.'s George Limehouse, plans to wow attendees with "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" and "Angels Flying to Close to Ground."

"I got him down, I believe," Limehouse said, referring to the distinctive vocals of the country music legend. "I have been imitating Willie for a good while now ... oh, maybe 15 years."

While Limehouse says he has never met Nelson in-person, he has seen his shows a few times, enough to know the mannerisms of the musical icon.

"He is an American poet, a balladeer," he said. "I like his simple style and laid-back manners.

"When you see Willie Nelson you are seeing him as he is. He just comes and plays music."

As part of the show, Limehouse says he will have a braided pony tail, bandana, blue jeans and jacket.

"Hopefully, I will look and sound like Willie Nelson," he said.

Bernice Tribble, DORA's executive director, said the show will be "very entertaining."

"We have been through the Christmas stress and are ready for some fun, and the timing is good for that," she said. "It is another good event that we are having to bring the community together."

Tribble said Gloria Kirkland, a guidance counselor at Edisto High School, presented the idea about six weeks ago, and when it was brought before the DORA Promotions Committee, it was received with open arms.

"They ran with it from there," Tribble said, noting that the local talent has been eager to make the show a success.

"And we hardly scratched the surface," she said in reference to the talent in Orangeburg.

Other appearances will include:

Alice and Henry Tisdale as Sonny and Cher

Cynthia Strozier as Madonna, singing "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"

Ron Glancy as Elvis

Phyllis and Dewall Waters "Dancing with the Stars"

Lisa Haynes as Celine Dion, singing "My Heart Will Go On"

Daryl Cate as Elton John, singing "Circle of Life"

Russ T. Fender and Matt Quay as The Blues Brothers

Sonia Gass as Tina Turner

Rebecca Collins as Loretta Lynn, singing "Coal Miner's Daughter"

Cornell Berry as Ray Charles, singing "Georgia on My Mind"

Matt Quay as Bruce Springsteen, singing "Born to Run"

Russ T. Fender as Joe Cocker, singing "Friends"

The Village People, performing "YMCA"

General admission tickets are $10 and available by calling DORA's office at 803-531-6186 or stopping by the finance office at Orangeburg City Hall. Tickets will also be available at the door. Doors will open at 6:15 p.m.

Money raised at the event will be used to create additional parking spaces for downtown merchants and Stevenson Auditorium.

T&D Staff Writer Gene Zaleski can be reached by e-mail at gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5551. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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