COLERAIN – It’s been said that laughter is the best medicine for the soul. If that’s the case, those attending an event here Saturday evening received a healthy dose.

Members of the Colerain community presented “Main Street Revue” – an event that raised money for the North Carolina Baptist Men’s Disaster Relief Fund.

“We welcome you to a walk down Main Street,” said Sheran White who served as the event’s hostess as well as taking part in several skits. “As you can see we have a miniature model of what Main Street in Colerain once looked like. We hope you enjoy the show.”

White praised the efforts of the NC Baptist Men, an organization that responds in the aftermath of natural and man-made disasters.

“Our show benefits their Disaster Relief Fund,” White noted. “Some of those men are with us tonight and we welcome them to Colerain. They do wonderful work; we know what they are capable to doing by what they did here after the tornado of April, 2011. They were in Colerain for a long time after that storm and worked very hard. While here they spread the word of God through their actions. We are so thankful for them. The funds we raise here tonight will go directly to them so they can continue their good work, whenever and wherever they are needed.”

Preston Spear spoke on behalf of the Baptist Men.

“This is a wonderful thing the Colerain community is doing for our organization,” he said. “We put in some long hours here after the tornado, but we did it with God’s help and to his glory. God bless you all.”

The evening’s “playbill” was packed with various acts. Numerous members of the Colerain community took part, some portraying well-known entertainers and other famous historical figures from different time periods.

Jack Parker, dressed as Thomas Jefferson, shared words of wisdom from that founding father of American independence. Reba Wynns performed as Kate Smith; and Barbara Brown, Terry Crump and Sheran White portrayed The Andrew Sisters.

The “Dixie Darlings” – Lynn Casper, Pat Daly, Sheryl Harrell, Anne Hughes, Linda Mackta, Annie G. Perry, Joyce White and Linda Wynns – entertained the crowd with “Ain’t She Sweet.”

Colerain’s next generation – Lily Silverthorne as Shirley Temple, and Andrew Raynor as Alfalfa – put their talents on display. Raynor’s performance – “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” was in tribute to Colerain’s dominance 50 years ago in the ranks of semi-professional baseball.

“Baseball is a part of Colerain’s history,” said Raynor, dressed in the uniform of his Little League team. “Let’s salute Dr. Fowler, a member of Colerain’s original baseball team.”

Bill Harrison and Billy Jones – aka farmers Bill and Billy – shared funny stories about marriage.

The famous Patti Page was performed by Phyllis Downey, singing “The Tennessee Waltz.”

The “Blooming Bloomers” – Amelia Adams, Betty Baker, Bernice Brooks, Dianne Harrell, Linda Northcott, and Patsy Perry – complete with bloomers and umbrellas, were among the fun acts of the evening.

A tribute to Colerain’s old Myers Theater was acted out by Ed Cullipher Jr. as he, dressed in proper attire, portrayed a singing cowboy in an old B-Western movie. He performed an all-time favorite – “Back in the Saddle Again.”

“We all remember when Main Street in small towns was where the crowd would gather,” said White. “Main Street in Colerain was the hot spot. It was where everyone stopped and shared the news, shared stories.”

With the house lights dimmed, Al Holcombe, Bill Parker and Alethia Raynor – dressed in skeleton outfits – performed “Dem Bones.”

Nancy Harrell sang an old Doris Day song – “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)”, first published in 1956.

Raymond Cale and Nonie Mizelle teamed for a skit entitled – “Kelly and the Church Lady.”

Closing out the first portion of the evening’s program were bluegrass performers Bob and Nancy Joyner, and Tommy Brown, who kept the crowd in stitches with his portrayal of Ernest T. Bass from the popular TV show of the 1960’s, the Andy Griffin Show.

Following a brief intermission, John Crump, Ed Cullipher, Carroll Northcott, and Jack Parker entertained the audience as the ‘Barber Shop Boys.”

The “Colerain’s Got Talent” segment featured Burney Baker portraying Peggy Lee; John Noe dressed as Marilyn Monroe, and Bill Harrell “endowed” as Dolly Parton.

Then came perhaps the funniest moment of the night when Lynn Raynor and Sheran White had the audience rolling in the aisles by respectively portraying “Mr. Tudball” and “Mrs. Wiggins” (aka Tim Conway and Carol Burnett) from the wildly popular Carol Burnett Show in the late 60’s to the mid 70’s.

The program moved to the current day where Kyle Barnes and Sam Felton communicated with each other (while sitting side-by-side) through text messages; Logan Hughes performed an alternative rock song; Gracie Bowell, Karen Brooks, Kathleen Brooks, and Sam Felton danced to the Cupid Shuffle; John Sasser portrayed a nerd; Stephen Adams was a rapper; and Craig Felton dressed as Si Robinson from the hit TV show, Duck Dynasty.

In a skit built around poor fast food service, Sam Felton, Christina Bragge, Tommy Brown and Gary Saffell served as the actors.

In the closing scene, Milton and Ronnie Felton shared funny stories of Colerain as “Son and Fatback.”

With Bob and Nancy Joyner providing the rhythm, the skit ended with the audience joining in on two spirituals – “I’ll Fly Away” and “In the Garden.”