Pops and All-Stars concert to raise funds for hurricane victims

     A performance by the Lawrence Welk All-Stars and the North Carolina Pops Orchestra at Campbell University will be used to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina. The concert is scheduled for Thursday, September 8, at 8 p.m. in Scott Concert Hall of the Rogers Fine Arts Center and will feature two popular stars of the Lawrence Welk Show, Ava Barber and Bob Havens. The audience will be asked to make a donation to hurricane relief efforts on behalf of Campbell University.
     “Hurricane Katrina has created over 40,000 refugees in New Orleans alone,” said Dr. Ran Whitley, chair of the Division of Fine Arts and associate professor of Music Education. “Thousands are dead and over two million people are without power, water or food. We’re taking this time to enjoy ourselves and enjoy the arts, but we are also aware that many people are in desperate situations, and we want to be responsive to their needs.”
     The Lawrence Welk Show was first seen on network television in 1955, and went on to run an astonishing 27 years. The show is still featured on PBS Television with its winning formula of wholesome entertainment.
     Bob Havens, who is a native of New Orleans, is a Dixieland trombonist with solid technical skills and a warm sound. He was a regular on the original Lawrence Welk Show for two decades. Havens also played with George Girard and Al Hirt and has been a fixture of Dixieland and mainstream jazz festivals since the 1960s.
     Country music star Ava Barber has been a Lawrence Welk favorite for many years also.  Her hit record, “Waiting at the End of Your Run,” reached number three on the “Billboard” charts. She has also appeared on the television shows “Nashville Now,” “Music City Tonight” and “The Grand Ole Opry.”
     Accompanying Ava Barber and Bob Havens will be the North Carolina Pops Orchestra made up of musicians from the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra as well as local professional instrumentalists from the Triangle Area. Tickets for the concert are $25 each. For reserved seating, call the Campbell University Ticket Office at (910) 814-2079 or toll free at (800) 334-4111, ext. 2079.