Dottie Peoples, "Songbird of the South," to headline free concert at Upper Room
Renowned and acclaimed national gospel recording artist Dorothy "Dottie" Peoples will headline a free COVID-19 relief concert.
Billed as "An Evening with Dottie," it will be held at 6:30 p.m., with doors opening at 5:30 p.m., Thursday at Upper Room Ministries at 3575 NE 15th St. The concert, which is being hosted and sponsored by the Community Impact Corporation, is primarily being held so senior citizens can be entertained and educated about their health.
The Rev. Karl "The Rev." Anderson, one of the senior pastors at Upper Room Ministries, said the event will be held to help seniors become aware of the resources they need to combat COVID-19.
Dr. Mike Lauzardo, a University of Florida epidemiologist, will talk about the latest strands of COVID-19 and UF Health will be distributing free test kits to attendees and will provide new COVID-19 updates about vaccinations, Anderson said.
"This event is to keep seniors and others aware about COVID-19," Lauzardo said. "I know some people are 'COVID fatigue' and 'vaccine fatigue' but we must continue to make the steps to go back to normalcy."
Lauzardo said according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 65% of residents In Alachua County ages 65 and older have been fully vaccinated and 69% are boosted.
"It's been a tough two and a half years," Anderson said. "We want to give God praises and help the community to see the silver lining in these times. We will also be having a comedian at the concert. Laughter is also a good medicine."
The Christian comedian scheduled to entertain the crowd is Lynwood "Funny Man" Williams of Two Egg, a small unincorporated community in Jackson County near Marianna in the Florida panhandle near the Alabama and Georgia borders.
"I have a ministry of laughter," Williams said. "I have a lot of positive notes for the young people in the community, and for men about how we need to take the responsibility of being the head of our households and families. We are going to have a good time in the Lord on Thursday night."
There will be reserved seating and gift bags for seniors 60 years of age and up, and there will be $1,000 in cash door prizes.
Community Impact Corporation, who will be sponsoring the concert, is a non-profit organization created by Upper Room Ministries to help the community. Anderson said it offers youth programs, free groceries, mentoring services and services to care for foster children and homeless veterans.
"We have been impacting our community for a lot of years," Anderson said. "We are forever grateful to be of service to the community. We will be giving cash prizes towards the end of the concert. We know people have suffered through inflation and the death of their loved ones. It's been a lot, so we want to pour a lot of love back to the people."
Anderson said he is looking forward to Peoples entertaining the audience with her gift of singing.
"She never disappoints," Anderson said. "She has a great down-home traditional gospel style that makes you feel good. We have the right person for the right time to lift the community's spirit."
After completing high school, Peoples toured with gospel pioneer Dorothy Norwood of The Caravans, a gospel group started in 1947 by Robert Anderson. After a stint in jazz, Peoples returned to her gospel roots in 1979 after relocating to Atlanta.
Her most popular songs are "He's An On-Time God," "Little Wooden Church" and "Oh What A Time."
She has been dubbed "Songbird of the South."
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: National gospel recording artist Dorothy "Dottie" Peoples will headline free concert at Upper Room
