Local Celebrities Raise $15,000

More than $15,000 was raised during the 5th annual Relay For Life of Polk County Celebrity Waiter Event held on August 5th. Lou and Denni of Mena Mountain Resort prepared a delicious meal, and 11 local celebrities waited tables for tips. The room looked beautiful as each celebrity decorated their table.  The tables had themes such as Salsa Night, Vintage Aviation, Honoring Those Who Serve, Gilligan’s Island, Roaring 20’s, Survivors, and Masquerade. Many of the waiter’s guests dressed according to the theme.

Farrell Cole with help from Loyd Shrum auctioned off donated items. The local celebrity waiters who participated in the event were; Oscar Sanchez sponsored by Papa’s Mexican Cafe, Regina Lawry and Barbara Holdeman sponsored by USEM Federal Credit Union, Jim and Joyce Stroope  sponsored by Nidec, Christy Green and Paula Jewell sponsored by Bear State Bank,  Cassondra Gortemiller and Teresa Bates sponsored by Union Bank and Five J Electric, Amanda Spoon sponsored by Genesis Cancer Center, and Elizabeth Baker sponsored by Relay For Life of Polk County.

While the tips were being counted, the guests enjoyed dancing to the tunes of DJ Hollywood. The Celebrities who received the most tips were Regina Lawry and Barbara Holdeman sponsored by USEM Federal Credit Union. Second Place went to Cassondra Gortemiller and Teresa Bates sponsored by Union Bank and Five J Electric. The award for the Best Theme went to Jim and Joyce Stroope for Nidec’s Honoring Those Who Serve.The award for Best Dressed Waiter went to Amanda Bates as Gilligan. The award for the Best Dressed Table went to Christy Green and Paula Jewell for Bear State Bank’s Roaring 20’s. The Sneakiest Waiter award went to Regina Lawry and her chocolate cake. The Most Spirited Waiter award was presented to Jim Stroope. The Best Dressed Guest award went to Kayla Wells as Lady Liberty. The 2016 Celebrity Waiters of the Year were Jim and Joyce Stroope. The Waiter of the Year is determined by the total amount of money raised for the event. The runners-up were Cassondra Gortemiller and Teresa Bates.

After a special appeal towards the end of the evening and the promise that the members of the planning committee would jump into the swimming pool if over 15,000 dollars were raised, the final total was over 15,200.00. The committee members jumped into the pool to celebrate the successful evening.