Special musicians to perform at fund-raiser
Jennifer Brookens — Staff WriterArticle Photos
SHERBURN - Several nationally-acclaimed performers will take the stage Saturday at the I-90 Expo in Sherburn to raise funds for the Sherburn Theatre.
Dennis Charnecki, of the group "Denny and the DC Drifters," started out as a Fairmont boy, but has lived all over Minnesota and has travelled and performed across the nation with some of music's biggest names.
"When I was 14 years old, I started out as part of the tour for Dottie West," he said of his earliest music connections. His lifetime of performing earned him and his group a Lifetime Achievement award from the Minnesota Rock and Country Hall of Fame in 2006.
But he has managed to stay connected with other regional performers, including Billye Jane Kruse, a notable fiddle player who hails from Ormsby.
Another performer who will take part in Saturday's fund-raiser is CoCo LeVan, who is billed as one of the top Patsy Cline impersonators in the nation.
"We had found out that CoCo was in the area, and we were hoping to have her be a part of the fund-raiser as well," Charnecki said.
Originally from Michigan, LeVan now calls Sioux City, Iowa, home and offers a regular Patsy Cline Tribute show. She has performed in the Grand Ol' Opry several times, and was named Entertainer of the Year in 2005 and 2006.
"Denny and the DC Drifters are more '50s and '60s music," explained Greg Johnson of the I-90 Expo Center, who helped organize the event. "So we have an evening of '50s and '60s music and country music."
The event was put together in a matter of weeks, once the musicians realized they would all be in the area at the same time.
"It came together pretty quickly," Johnson said.
Charnecki was impressed with the idea of performing as a fund-raiser for the Sherburn Theatre.
"It sounds like they've really done a good job with fund raising so far," he said. "It's nice that we can help out too."
The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the I-90 Expo center. Admission is $10. All proceeds will go toward the Sherburn Theatre restoration project.
