The Friends of the Kinston-Lenoir County Public Library will kick off its first program of the 2013-14 season by sponsoringThe Golden Oldies Radio Show.
The program will be at 3 p.m. Sunday in the library’s Schechter Auditorium and will feature prominent local performers who have worked professionally in the entertainment industry and call Eastern North Carolina home. They are Sandra Fisher, Chris Raines, Clay Raines and Antuan Hawkins.
“The mission of the Friends of the Library is simple: Support our local public library and, thereby, enrich our community,” said Mike Parker, president of the organization. “Our local Friends group has operated for nearly 28 years and has always endeavored to be good stewards of the resources you entrust to our care.
“When Dr. (Elliott) Engel visits, the Friends provide the funding. When Al Batten and the Bluegrass Reunion appear, they come courtesy of the Friends. These programs and many more are available to the public free of charge because of the generous support of our Friends.”
Membership in Friends of the Library is open to the public, and costs as little as $10 per year. Consider joining and adding your contribution to the Friends’ efforts to bring a diverse selection of musical, literary and cultural programs to the library.
This show is in its third year and is appropriate for the entire family. It brings back the days of radio, when things were wholesome and simpler. Complete with station call letters, sound effects and old time commercials for products of yesteryear, the radio show will include favorites from the 1950s and ’60s, including songs by Elvis, Etta James, The Monotones, Sam Cooke, Frankie Valli and many others. The event is free and open to the public.
Fisher is a litigation paralegal for the law firm of Riddle & Brantley, LLP with more than 25 years of service to the legal community. She has performed throughout the South and worked with various national recording artists, including Weekend Excursion — which features her son, Sam Jr. and reunites annually for a concert to benefit “The Jimmy V Foundation.”
Fisher is also a consultant for One Voice Productions, where she teaches private voice lessons, interview, and poise and presence skills development. She has 35 years of pageant experience and has served on various committees and earned titles and awards in various local, state and national pageants, including her most current title as Ms. NC Essence 2012.
Chris Raines is a Lenoir County native and Lenoir Community College graduate. For the past 27 years he has been starring in, producing and directing shows in and around the community. He started performing on the stages of the Airport Theatre and the Grainger Hill Performing Arts Center. His most memorable stage credits include Rooster in “Annie,” Melvin P. Thorpe in “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” Sky Masterson in “Guys and Dolls” and the Beast in “Beauty and the Beast.”
His brother Clay Raines is a South Lenoir High School graduate who has performed in LCC productions and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theater from ECU. He has performed in many shows in the area and beyond, including his most notable role as Jesus in LCC’s “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
He is the drama teacher at Kinston High School and chairperson of the Drama Department. He has created strategic partnerships for the performing arts, with numerous sold-out shows to date.
Hawkins, The Golden Oldies Radio Show producer, is a children’s librarian at the Neuse Regional Library. An actor, singer, photographer and storyteller, he has been performing and producing shows for many years. He most recently has added playwright to his list of accomplishments, having been commissioned by the North Carolina History Center at Tryon Palace and Harold Bate Foundation for the African American Lecture series.
Golden Oldies Radio Show
3 p.m. Sunday
Schechter Auditorium
Kinston-Lenoir County Public Library
510 N. Queen St.
Free
Info: 252-527-7066, ext. 133, or neuselibrary.org