A crowd of 120 people was at the community center at Grand Horizons to see a terrific show. Rich Wilson performed a variety of talents and kept everyone laughing in their seats. He sang several hit tunes, intermingled with a variety of jokes. He had the knack of using people’s names that lived in or visited Grand Horizons that he had met.
(Courtesy of Marty Rubenstein)
As mentioned, the well-attended show started when Terry Gardner introduced Rich Wilson. Rich made a great entrance as he showed up in a tuxedo. Yes, this was a class act, and we were in for a delightful experience. A treat is what we experienced as he sang oldies, country, plus some gospel.
Rich started the show by singing “Let Me Be There” with such enthusiasm and emotion that he had everyone singing and clapping along. This was followed by a great performance of a Conway Twitty song entitled “It’s Only Make Believe” done in a faster version, and Rich did a remarkable job.
He then performed a medley of “At the Hop,” “All Shook Up,” “Ain’t That a Shame,” “Blueberry Hill,” and more. There was a variety of music as he then performed some country hits such as “Folsom Prison Blues.” “Ring of Fire.” ”From a Jack to a Queen,” ”Take These Chains From My Heart,” and many others.
At one point during the show, Rich introduced Terry Gardner and proceeded to sing the song “I Don’t Have a Wooden Heart.” He sang this song to Mim Gardner as Terry gave her some roses for their 55th anniversary and a giant poster of the two of them cutting their wedding cake. Needless to say, I think Mim was surprised. At least, she sure looked it.
Rich then did a very cute rendition of “Rindercella” that Archie Campbell made famous. I must say that Rich did a fantastic job of it, and the entire audience was laughing.
He also was up on stage with Kermit the Frog, and they both sang “What a Wonderful World.“ Rich changed his voice when it came to Kermit’s part, and again everyone was hysterical. He sang “Little Bitty Pretty One” with all the meaningful phrases like “Ah, Ah” and others.
During the evening, he told jokes, stories and little quips that had everyone in stitches. Everyone had a smile on his or her face.
He then performed a medley of Elvis songs like “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Teddy Bear,” and more, with some shaking going on.
Now to the end of the show. But first, there was a salute to all the veterans that were in the audience with our thanks. It was an honor to be in their presence. We closed the show with everyone singing “America the Beautiful.”
We all left knowing we saw a high-quality show.
On Feb. 22, our community center had a Daytona 500 Bash. I understand that it was quite successful as about 35 people attended to cheer on their favorite driver.
I spoke to Gary Wilcox, and he was more than delighted with the turnout, and they hope to have more next year as this will be an annual occasion.
There were several door prizes that were given out during every break at this event. Between Gary and others, they went to several vendors who made donations. It was definitely a joint effort, and our thanks go out to all who participated. There were also hot dogs, fries, Hooter’s wings and coleslaw available for purchase. I was told from Annmarie Shackewyc that Cheryl and Ken Leone, along with Chuck Carlson, did all the cooking, while Donna Quinn made the coleslaw.
From what I understand, it was a lovely afternoon, especially if your driver won.
By Helene Rubenstein
Published March 4, 2015
