Robbinsville – The back of Saturday’s program for the second installment of Graham County’s Got Talent featured two selections from the New Testament.
The first is from Matthew 22:37-39, “Jesus said unto him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
The second comes from the gospel of John, chapter 13, verse 34, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”
Emcee Todd Odom made sure to punctuate the three-hour fundraiser at Robbinsville High School by reading those passages to the crowd on hand to enjoy both dance and vocal performances from locals; bid on a plethora of homemade items, from cakes to blankets; and show a stand of solidarity for the Graham Cancer Support Group, which formed Aug. 1, 2019, to help those battling the disease.
“I know we live in the most giving place in the universe and that’s Graham County,” Odom said. “Thank God we live in a place where we love our neighbors; thank God we live in a place where we love our people.”
Throughout the night, contestants belted out a mixture of well-known tunes and original works. But the competition for top bragging rights in the gospel, dance, instrumental, pop/rock and country/bluegrass categories took a backseat to the real purpose of the evening.
Odom kept the crowd engaged all night, even launching into a trio of stories while the five esteemed judges selected winners outside the theater. At one point, his auctioneering skills yielded an unbelievable $410 for a single apple-stack cake.
The silent auction in the commons area was a huge part of the evening’s success as well, with the homemade soups and desserts for sale at the facility’s concession stand also proving to be a hit.
All told, an estimated $8,800 was raised for the non-profit organization – prior to Saturday’s event, it was noted that the group has provided $126,650 in aid since its inception.
Winners of each division were Megan Brooks (gospel), Ariana Roberts (dance), Aidan Holder and Ryan Lynn (instrumental), Gracie Anderson and Will Phillips (pop/rock), and Mandy Millsaps, Keith Rogers and Anderson (country/bluegrass).
The group has intake forms at businesses throughout Graham County, including The Graham Star.
The evening was live-streamed; a special version of the show will soon be available for free viewing on grahamstar.com.