A crowd of 156 people entered a beautifully decorated community center at Grand Horizons on Dec. 11 to see a great show. The decorations were ornaments and miniature Christmas trees set up along the stage. Before Rich Wilson came out to perform, we had a special treat — Santa and Mrs. Claus coming through the center and shaking hands with many people. Afterward, they posed with several couples, while Terry took their pictures.
(Courtesy of Marty Rubenstein)
Rich looked great wearing a three-piece tux and a white dress shirt. He sang many songs that were interspersed with holiday melodies. He sang such songs as “For Once in My Life,” “Goody, Goody,” “Close To You” and much more. He also treated us to several Elvis tunes such as “Don’t be Cruel,” “I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You” and others, and he included some shaking and loads of rhythm.
The show consisted of many Christmas tunes such as “Walking in a Winter Wonderland,” “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas,” “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Blue Christmas” and so many more. At one point in the show, Rich sang “New York, New York.” That was a Frank Sinatra song, plus he had a few dance steps thrown in. He also performed a wonderful rendition of “I’m Walking,” which was a hit for Fats Domino.
There was audience participation when Rich performed the song “Sh Boom (Life Could be a Dream),” along with clapping from the audience, and swaying back and forth. A lovely performance of “Blue Velvet,” which was a big hit for Bobby Vinton, was also presented to us.
Rich called up a person from the audience by the name of Dick Dee, who performs in the Country Breeze Band at the New River Church, to sing the song, “A White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation.” This was a big hit for Marty Robbins, and the two of them did a great job.
At this time in the show, a tribute was made to all the vets, and each group of the services was recognized. It was an honor to be in their presence.
Rich also did a very cute rendition of “Rindercella” that Archie Campbell made famous. A fantastic job was done, and the audience was laughing from the very beginning.
At the end of the show, after Rich sang other Christmas songs such as “The First Noel” and a few others, Terry Gardner did a reading. It was a great evening and one we will well remember.
By Helene Rubenstein
Published December 23, 2015
