Talent show slated for tomorrow at Lawn School


Organizers of the annual talent show are concerned with rain for the first time in its 30-year history.

The Jamestown Community Chorus will sponsor its fundraiser at 4:30 p.m. Friday at the athletic complex on Lawn Avenue. Although the event has been directed dryly under the roof at the recreation center since 1990, the coronavirus pandemic has forced the show outdoors to allow social distancing between guests. The rain date is 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

Audience members will be able to remain in their vehicles while listening to the performances on 89.9 FM, similar to the financial town meeting in June. Volunteers will direct traffic in order for all vehicles to be in position to see the acts, and there also will be limited seating near the stage.

While there is a suggested donation of $10 per carload or $5 per person, raising money for the nonprofit organization is not the primary objective of the event.

“That is secondary to bringing a little normalcy to extraordinary times,” said B.J. Whitehouse, director of the chorus.

Opposed to a fundraiser, Whitehouse is calling the 2020 edition a “fun raiser.” Mark Male, president of the chorus’ board of directors, will emcee the show that will last roughly an hour.

Jeffrey Gravdahl and Christina Gravdahl are scheduled to sing solos, Christine Ariel will play the harp and Kathy Brownell has written a special song inspired by the pandemic titled “Just Know That I Love You.”

Whitehouse said there also is “a very special duet” between McKenzie Gardner, a sophomore at Narragansett High School, and Hamilton Avenue’s Betty Greenstein. They will collaborate on “Music Weaves a Magic Spell.” The song was chosen by Greenstein when she auditioned for The Juilliard School in New York City during the 1940s.

Guests will be expected to wear masks outside of their cars, and hand sanitizer will be available. Acts have been limited to three performers on stage at a time.