The Greatest Variety Show proceeds to benefit food pantry

Cathy Spaulding, Muskogee Phoenix, Okla.
·2 min read

Oct. 20—Music, comedy, dancing and poetry are part of The Greatest Variety Show this weekend.

The show, which benefits Muskogee Community Food Pantry, will be at 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Roxy Theater. There is no set admission price, but monetary donations are encouraged.

"It's a multitude of talent," said Francie Martin, who is helping put the show together. "There's a lot of talent in the community. We gathered up a lot of them and put a variety show together."

Bridgette "Honey B" Craine will perform some of her original poetry. Meaghan and Erin McCawley will perform a duet. Singers include Andrea Wilcoxen, Steve Thomson and Braden Thomson, who often appear at Muskogee Little Theatre. Muskogee's Wildcard Band will provide music.

Martin said some of her dancers, Francie's Eclectic Dancers, will do some numbers.

There also will be skits and comic musical numbers, including a group using Boomwhackers musical instruments to play the "William Tell Overture."

Martin said the First United Methodist Church of Muskogee Mission Committee came up with the idea for the benefit. The food pantry is located at the church.

Steve Thomson, a church member, recalled when dancers Isabel and Bob Cockle hosted annual variety shows, the Senior Follies, to benefit various charities.

"We didn't want to do that exactly," he said. "Francie lives right across the street from me and we talked several times about it. She's got the dance class, and she can get the numbers ready to perform them, and we have so much talent around. She asked if I could round up some of the vocal acts and some of the skits. We got it together and picked the date."

The show will feature several vocal solos, duets and groups, Thomson said.

"The Wildcard Band volunteered to be our house band. They do things everywhere," he said. "Keith Garrison got us together an instrumental group, kind of a cut-down version of the community band."

Tom Carment with the Muskogee Community Food Pantry said the show will help the pantry in two ways.

"The main way is to that it will raise money. The second way is that it will raise visibility in the community," he said. "We're known to our clients, but we're not necessarily known to this community. This time of year people become charitable oriented, and it's an opportunity for us to get some visibility. We also compete for grants."

Pantry figures indicate that 6,565 individuals — adults, children and seniors — were helped by the pantry from January through September this year.

If you go

WHAT: The Greatest Variety Show.

WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday.

WHERE: Roxy Theater, 220 W. Okmulgee Ave.

ADMISSION: Cash donations to benefit Muskogee Community Food Pantry.