USO Benefit Show nets thousands for local causes

The Nevada Silver Tappers dazzled audiences this past month during the group’s annual USO Benefit Show, paying tribute to the best of Hollywood musicals while simultaneously raising cash to support two worthy local causes.

Southern Nye County Search and Rescue and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #10054 Veterans’ Food Bank were selected as beneficiaries this year. Each of these nonprofit organizations performs a valuable service for Pahrump and the surrounding communities, with Search and Rescue offering its volunteerism to help locate the lost and injured and the Veterans’ Food Bank helping ensure those who have served their country do not go hungry.

The USO Benefit Show, produced and directed by Kim Cornell-Lyle, along with dance instructor Ione DeSantis, took place over two nights, with the first showing on Sunday, Sept. 8 and another on Saturday, Sept. 14. As usual, both performances saw a packed house of admiring audience members. Between the sale of tickets themselves and the “Pass the Boot” drive during the shows, the Silver Tappers were able to bring in a total of $8,000.

Kicking off with a rendition of the song that embodied the event’s theme, “We’re in the Money”, the USO Benefit Show incorporated nearly two dozen segments. Well-known favorites such as “Singing in the Rain”, “Hand Jive” and “Yankee Doodle” had the crowd dancing in their seats and it was clear that this year’s showings were just as well-received as they’ve always been.

Along with the tap-dancing troupe, several guest entertainers took to the stage for the USO Benefit Show, including Ms. Senior Golden Years members Marjorie Washington-Nears and Shelley Fisher as well as local songstresses Kai Brant and Lynn Peterson.

Special thanks were offered to Sharon Crisp for her work on the sound production for the show and Saddle West for use of the showroom, as well as to Cornell-Lyle, DeSantis and all of the Silver Tappers and Ms. Senior Golden Years ladies.

After all of the singing and dancing was done and the totals were calculated, representatives from each of the chosen nonprofits were invited to the Silver Tappers Dance Studio for a check presentation ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 26. Silver Tappers and Ms. Senior Golden Years members, along with founder B.J. Hetrick-Irwin, were all evidently delighted to be able to give thousands of dollars to causes they all staunchly support.

“We appreciate it,” Southern Nye County Search and Rescue Commander Ron Taylor said as he was presented with a $5,000 check. “We just got our insurance bill that we paid up, which is a big cost, and this can go toward a drone we’re trying to get. Just countless ways this will go to help us so we appreciate everything you do for us, thank you very much.”

Jill Fisher with the Veterans’ Food Bank was just as grateful, telling the ladies, “We’ll really put it to good use! And I just want to thank the Silver Tappers for always honoring us.”

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com