WADESBORO- Anson County Partnership for Children held their 14th annual Barn Blast on Friday, January 31. The Barn Blast is ACPC’s largest and most anticipated fundraising event of the year. Since it was western-themed, guests were encouraged to prepare for an evening of dancing, silent auctions, raffles, games, and dinner by dusting off their cowboy boots and wearing their finest cowboy hat.
Barn Blast was held at the SPCC Lockhart-Taylor Center and all the proceedings went to support ACPC programs including Raising a Reader, Reach Out and Read, and Proud Parents. An estimated $70,000 was raised during the event and the money will enable the ACPC to better serve the community.
Rhinestone Cowboy and other country classics played over the loudspeakers as attendees sporting western attire mingled with one another while bidding on items ranging from a Star Wars battle package featuring two light sabers to a weekend getaway in Charleston, South Carolina. Michael Parker was the auctioneer for the evening.
Attendants could participate in a Quick Draw game, where they would challenge another guest in a game of rock, paper, scissors to win a grand prize of either a rifle or a Sugar Mountain Vacation. A Wine Toss and a Bonanza Raffle, featuring a variety of prizes including a trip to Maggie Valley or NASCAR tickers, were also available.
ACPC Board Member Lula Jackson performed the invocation followed by short speeches from ACAPC Board Chair Wesley Martin as well as sponsors Fred Poisson and Josh Bricker. Dinner was served by students from Anson High School.
Angelica Smith gave a heartfelt and tear-filled talk about what the ACPC means to her. “Because of the partnership, I am the woman I am today,” said Smith. Smith was a teenage mother who was able to flourish thanks to the services and care provided by the ACPC. “They’re like a second family,” added Smith.
Smith’s second child, Datreon “Day Day” Amir Lowery, passed too soon, just a month before his first birthday, due to a birth defect known as Esophageal Atresia/Tracheal Esophageal Fistula (EA/TEF).
The “Sponsor a Child” portion of Barn Bast was dedicated to Day Day and celebrated his life. The money raised from that will support Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library which provides books to children from birth to age 5. Currently, the ACPC sponsors over 1,250 children in the program throughout Anson County.
DJ Leon Gatewood provided the entertainment for the evening and guests danced until late into the night. For the 14th year in a world, citizens of Anson County came out to have a good time and show what it’s all about, the children.
