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Four Ladies Plus a Dude take PCYDC Lip Sync Battle
When it came down to which team garnered the most votes, production value perhaps won out at this year’s Lip Sync Battle benefiting the Putnam County Youth Development Commission.
With their costumes and the sheer cheekiness, their rendition of “Beauty School Dropout” from the classic musical “Grease” meant Four Ladies Plus a Dude (plus a questionable-looking Frenchy) being named the top performing team at the event.
The group was made up of local small business owners Kim Duell, Alison Beauchamp, Matt and Dee Bumgardner and Alicia and Aaron Gregg.
With this year’s theme being “A Night at the Movies,” four other teams lip-synced numbers from “9 to 5,” “Wayne’s World,” Beetlejuice” and “School of Rock.” And their efforts were no less with the energy that they invested.
With Andrew Ranck emcee for the evening, the first team up was South Putnam’s Cara and Ellen Cash, Hannah Scott, Lindsay Roberts and Kate Hudson. Recalling the struggles of Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Lilly Tomlin working for “the man” in “9 to 5,” they instead tied up South Putnam’s mascot.
Ranck then related how the PCYDC, “is not a bunch of letters.” The agency’s mission is to support the safety, well-being, decision-making and resilience of Putnam County’s youth through its CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) and Teen Court programs.
The North Putnam teachers were then up as Bonnie Osborn, Matt Couch, Drake Davis, Bronwyn Spencer and Rachel Pierce belted out the second part of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” This, of course, was as they hearkened to the raucous head-banging car scene from “Wayne’s World.”
“We wanted to do this tonight to really promote the idea of developing the youth,” Couch said, momentarily stepping out of his Wayne Campbell mode. “We just want to make sure that our kids are the best they can be, so that our communities can be the best they can be, now and in the future.”
With Ranck recognizing the PCYDC’s board of directors, retiring members Sue Murray and Sherry Cash were honored specifically for their service to the agency. Murray joined the board in 2008, while Cash became a CASA volunteer in 2010 and joined the board in 2011.
With air horns blasting from fans, the McDonald’s team of Trevor and Morgan Troyer, Rachel Clingerman, Tevor Knoebel and Katie Sims performed Harry Belafonte’s version of “The Banana Boat Song.” Their inspiration was the sway of Delia Deetz and company being possessed in “Beetlejuice.”
CASA Director Patti Harmless then recognized longtime advocate Lucy Wieland. Having worked for years with children with autism and special needs, she began volunteering with CASA when it was established in 1994. While she retired from teaching in 2010, she continues to work with the program.
Four Ladies Plus a Dude then went to the nines recreating Frankie Avalon’s heavenly serenade to Didi Conn about going back to high school. The cheekiness included an appropriate “flashing” for the audience.
“Well, for all of you sitting out there, it’s ... it’s ... it’s for the kiiiiiids!” the Dude proclaimed. Humorous though it was, this was indeed the message behind the event and its wide support from the community.
Rounding out the performances were Jessica Lawless, Becky McPherson, Jessica Lenihan, Whitney Reeder and Ben Wells from Greencastle Middle School. They went all out with Jack Black and his students rocking out to the main number from “School of Rock.”
With Four Ladies Plus a Dude accruing the majority, 821 ballots were cast at the event.
The team was also the one that raised the most money with a total of $11,200. The agency’s executive director Amber Halloran told the Banner Graphic that about $45,000 was raised overall.