PORTSMOUTH-A Scioto County tradition continues this year with the 29th Annual Our Christmas Gift to Portsmouth.
The concert is a free event organized by Dr. James Spinnati, President of the Sonshine School of Evangelism and features the talents of many performers for a night of music and merriment.
The musical talents include Steve Foster, pianist; Portsmouth West High School Choir, Director Linda Tieman; Jim Evans; Art Bush, Jeff Bush, and Tracy Tooley; Bryan Goins and River Road; and Gary Everett. The master of ceremonies will be Danny Bentley.
“I do it, because I want to try and make a difference in our community. This is the 29th year, so I hope it means something to the community by now,” Dr. James Spinnati said. “We are kicking off our 29th year of starting the Christmas season and I hope it brings joy to the people and make people ready for the holidays with brighter attitudes. The music is going to be great. The trio is great, the pianist is wonderful, the guys from the Grand Ole Opry will be there, plus the talents of the West High School Choir.”
The concert has become a regular expectation of the holiday season and not only gives the crowd great musical options, but also honors two locals for their involvement in the community.
This year, the recipients of the award for service include Lisa Carver and Larry Mullins. Assisting in presenting the awards includes radio personality and WNXT manager Steve Hayes.
Hayes claimed that he is happy with the recipients this year and believes they are people who work hard for the sake of good.
“We have always tried to find to people who are relevant as far as giving back to the community. It is always hard to find heroes, because heroes tend to do the hard work and then go back to their real self,” Hayes said. “We also try to find people who do a lot of good things and fly under the radar and may not get a lot of recognition.”
Hayes has been involved with the event for some time and believes it is special to the community.
“By the attendance, I think the event means an awful lot. As we say, it is a free-out. Not a quite a sell out, because tickets are free,” Hayes said. “The entertainment Dr. Spinnati brings in is top shelf. You’d pay a pretty hefty price to see the talent that he brings in for free. I think there is an audience for it and a lot of people who expect it every year.”
Admission to the event is free, but a ticket must be picked up at either the McKinley Box Office, WNXT 99.3, Portsmouth ACE Hardware, Scioto Voice, Desco Federal Credit Union, Larry Moore Trophies and Sports, Tim Horton’s, Beujou Barn, Carey’s Run Church of Christ, Quincy Church of Christ, or Sand Hill Church of Christ.
The concert will be held Monday, November 28 at 7 p.m. at the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts, 940 2nd Street. For more information on tickets, call 740.351.3600. For more information on the event, call Dr. Spinnati at 740.357.3696
Reach Joseph Pratt at (740) 353-3101, by email at [email protected], © 2022 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved
