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Ag Team, Central Elementary big winners at PCYDC Lip Sync
With the theme of “Love is a Battlefield,” it was apparently the machines that ruled the battle at the 2022 PCYDC Lip Sync.
Performing to Kenny Chesney’s 1999 hit “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy,” the Putnam County Ag Team garnered 567 votes to win Saturday evening’s competition, the twice-postponed annual fundraiser for the Putnam County Youth Development Commission.
The Ag Team was represented by Brent Heavin, Caleb Neier, Daniel Williams, Ron Birt and Hope Wesley.
The performance opened and closed with Heavin riding across the stage on a kid’s John Deere pedal tractor — a feat he was apparently the only team member who could accomplish.
“Yes, I am the only one who can ride the tractor,” Heavin said. “I barely fit, but I got it done.”
Acknowledging the song “fit us like a glove,” Heavin said practice actually started in late 2020, before the 2021 event was canceled.
“With Covid, we started in November 2020,” Heavin said. “We went through three practices and then they canceled it. So then we started back up in December (2021).”
Besides the mini tractor, the performance had a number of nice touches. There were cowboy hats, western shirts, jeans and boots all around, of course. When the team members tore away the snaps of the shirts, they revealed photos of their significant others on T-shirts. Later, the backs of the T-shirts were revealed to have tractors on them.
Also, each time a team member took a turn “singing” lead, his or her “microphone” was an ear of corn.
The second PCYDC Lip Sync has actually been postponed twice, with the Ag Team not even on the roster for the also-canceled 2020 event. With that in mind, the participants were excited to help with PCYDC’s first major fundraiser since the inaugural event in May 2019.
“It means a lot to help raise this money,” Heavin said. “I didn’t know much about CASA before we did this and all the stuff they do, as well as Teen Court. It means a lot to help PCYDC out and have a little fun and for Putnam County to have a little break from what it’s been going through and just have a good night out.”
With the funds raised, the real winners of the night were the kids of Putnam County, with proceeds going to PCYDC and its signature Programs: Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Teen Court and Choices.
On that note, the Central Elementary team was honored as the top fundraiser prior to Saturday, having raised $7,273.38 for PCYDC.
Central was actually one of four teams — alongside Putnam County Law Enforcement, Cummins Behavioral Health and Teachers Credit Union — remaining from the originally-planned 2020 roster. Central took advantage, raising funds over the course of the two years since those teams were unveiled.
“We’re really excited because we all worked really hard to raise the money,” Central teacher Jill Newton said. “It was a total team effort. When we originally agreed to do this two years ago, we started then and we never stopped. It’s an important cause, and the PCYDC is important to schools. It’s a group that’s near and dear to our heart, so we’re just excited to raise money for them.”
Central’s performance was also one of the highlights of the night, with the five members each performing as one of the five Spice Girls to the group’s 1996 breakthrough smash hit “Wannabe.”
“We had some help from Just Dance on Youtube, and then we threw our own fun in it,” Newton, who performed as Ginger Spice, said. “We just practiced after school and had a lot of fun.”
Among the other members, Ashley Robinson was Scary Spice, Heather Perkins was Sporty Spice, Tammy York was Baby Spice and Amanda Hutcheson was Posh Spice.
Following cocktails and dinner, the performances kicked off with the Shuee’s Furniture and Appliance team of Zach Shuee, Mac Shuee, Derek Carter, Derek Chastain and Jeremy Cowger doing a bit of what it does on a daily basis -- moving appliances, though this time it was to the Dire Straits hit “Money for Nothing,” a classic animated video that also featured appliance movers.
The Law Enforcement Team of Cory Robinson, Ronnie Campbell, Adam Logan and Adrian Lepine then turned the heat up further with Pitbull’s “Fireball,” even passing out shots of Fireball Cinnamon Whisky at the end.
Fittingly, The Warehouse fitness facility encouraged everyone to “Move Your Body,” with Heather Grable performing lead to the Beyoncé hit, along with backup dancers Piper Voss, Ashley Clute, Sarah Garver and Holli Hill.
Cummins followed with the Taron Egerton cover of Elton John’s “I’m Still Standing,” a song that had a little extra meaning to the mental health professionals.
“Everybody at one point or another gets knocked down,” Cummins representative Tom Kixmiller said. “It’s not about not getting knocked down, it’s about getting back up. We’re all still standing.”
The group concluded its performance with Kixmiller and teammates Trish Lewellen, Melanie Gibbs, Katie Richards and Cary Tanner holding up the message #StoptheStigma.
After the Ag Team’s performance, the first act concluded.
Following intermission, The Green Room Salon & Spa kicked off the second act with a high-energy medley that culminated with Jessie J’s “Flashlight” from “Pitch Perfect 2,” directing the audience to wave small flashlights in the air that had been distributed to the tables. The Green Room team featured Bobbie Lancaster, Anna Powell, Izzy Polster, Morgan Bollman and Olivia Barnett.
Central followed as the Spice Girls, before Teacher’s Credit Union took things in a more Broadway direction with a performance of “It’s the Hard Knock Life” from “Annie,” featuring intern Isaiah Wallace in a gender-bending appearance as the title character. Joining Wallace were Shawna Young, Alex Higgins, Kevin Spear and Brian Swick.
The evening came to a close with another Broadway hit, this time with the Merkel Family performing a medley from “Grease.” Matriarch and former PCYDC Executive Director Linda Merkel was joined by Donnie Hott, Emma Harrison and Brooke Mourey.
At night’s end, the oversized PCYDC Lip Sync trophy was presented by representatives of 2019 winning team RE/MAX Cornerstone, Steve Custis, Cheryl Thomas and Tyler Cox, though Cox chose not to reprise the shiny Tina Turner dress in which he rolled on a river three years ago.
As good of a time as anyone had, though, emcee Andrew Ranck brought the night to a close with a reminder of what the night really meant.
“Most of all, congratulations to the children of Putnam County,” Ranck said. “That’s why we’re here.”
