Annual celebration begins tonight
Marion Thaxton has been performing with the On the Road Again Show for the past 25 years. So you can bet she’s fired up about Viola Valley Homecoming activities which begin tonight.
“The crowds and the excitement – it’s just fun,” said Thaxton when asked what attracts her to performing on stage. “The people always seem to enjoy it each year. The grandstand will be full and people will bring their lawn chairs. Other people will just sit on the ground.”
The On the Road Again Show is one of the feature attractions of Viola Valley Homecoming. The performance, which includes 19 acts, begins tonight at 8:30 p.m.
Lip-synching is the name of the game when it comes to the On the Road Again Show. Thaxton does a mean impersonation of Patti Loveless and her husband, Tom, likes to sing songs by Kenny Rogers. To make the act even more realistic, Tom even looks like Kenny Rogers.
“It’s not just young kids,” said preacher Kevin Deason, who will be performing in one of the 19 acts. “You’ve got some older people who really get a kick doing this.”
Bill Underwood is known for his Ray Stevens act, and Douglas Jacobs is popular for impersonating Charlie Daniels. They are just part of the On the Road Again Show which is expected to pack close to 1,000 people in downtown Viola tonight.
Other homecoming festivities include a full schedule of events Saturday. It all starts with a parade at 9 a.m. and concludes with an antique tractor pull and gospel singing Saturday night.
Volunteer fireman Russell Clayborne was busy cleaning out the fire department and cleaning up the firetrucks Thursday afternoon. He says the fire department will be transformed into a kitchen this weekend and around 2,500 hamburgers will be sold, among other things.