In case anyone needed a reminder or a chance to hear it. In Owensboro, love is thriving. A record number of people attended Puzzle Pieces’ Lip Sync Battle on Saturday night at the Owensboro Convention Center. The three-hour event was a three-hour love letter to diversity, compassion, and the whole range of abilities, in addition to being an incredible fundraiser.
I must acknowledge my family of friends who joined me for this year’s opening number before I share my favorite parts of the show.
Brendan Stewart, Jaysen Oliver, Eric Clark, Preston Middleton, Candace Cleveland, Mercedez Varble, Heather Payne, Rhianna Pickrell, and Jen Vogel are all incredibly creative individuals, and I feel blessed to have known and collaborated with them. They threw themselves fully into this concept, giving “The Greatest Showman” a vibrant, empowering, and full life.
I must also acknowledge Cathy Pickrell, my favorite flag-flying warrior goddess, who inspires me both on and off stage and has changed my life. Every day, I give thanks to Mary-Katherine Maddox, my co-host on Lip Sync Battle and radio, who is the epitome of “empathy.” I know no one who is a bigger supporter of others than her. Everyone has a place in the heart. Next up is Amanda Owen, Executive Director of Puzzle Pieces. Amanda joined us on stage this year and gave her all when she performed “Never Enough.” She is an inspiration in life. She is radiant and inspirational on stage. We appreciate you sharing your story and joining us on this endeavor, Amanda.
The Lip Sync Battle on Saturday night broke all previous event records. The number of teams competing, the number of artists on stage (163), the number of virtual tickets sold (253), the number of spectators (more than 1750), and the amount of money raised (almost a quarter of a million dollars) were all records. The ultimate total, which includes the money donated during the event via the QR code and the cash/checks collected during the mid-show “money shake,” is really $249,479.67. Even while those figures are remarkable and touching, they don’t sum up this event.
This is what people’s power does. EVERYONE.
Although Saturday night had several highlights, these are a handful that, in my opinion, stood out. What about TTMA Vice President Kenichi Harada throwing himself into his team’s distinctive, multilingual performance, which you didn’t need to comprehend to enjoy?
His squad won the Energy Battle trophy because to his contagious energy. In addition, Kenichi likes Tom Cruise, which is why he goes by the American moniker “Kruise”. “Kruise” was amazing.
What about the HOTWORX team’s shameless (and shirtless) resuscitation of Richard Simmons?
Being completely at ease in your own flesh is the purest kind of freedom, and Bobby Ewing and Nick Whiteside brought it. Without a doubt, their performances were the most daring of the evening.
What about Glenmore Distillery’s capacity for fundraising? They already bottle it, but I would suggest they should. Glenmore, led by ‘Pitbull’ Justin Rhinerson of Owensboro, participated in Lip Sync Battle for the third time in a row, against their friendly opponents from Swedish Match.
More than $51,000 was raised. When the team won their third straight Community Piece Award (for the top fundraising team), I was standing right next to them. Almost all of my teammates were in tears, and I couldn’t help but think how wonderful it is that these colleagues had formed a family outside of the office. They have dedicated many hours to creating a second home for themselves on the Lip Sync Battle stage. It’s difficult to recall what the Puzzle Pieces mission was like before and what it will be like without them because they (together with Swedish Match) have grown to be so essential.
What about Phelps, Kalin? In addition to being the event’s title sponsor, Kalin’s company, Integrated Therapy Solutions, also raised money for it herself. She raised an extra $3,000 as a result of her dedication to the cause and altruism. That type of commitment is crucial to the overall broad picture when discussing the actual pieces of a jigsaw. Furthermore, Kalin is a strong, vocal supporter who will not think twice about returning pointless items to their proper place on the shelf.
She is the perfect example of the kind of friend and cheerleader we all need on the sidelines. She is fortunate to Puzzle Pieces. So is our whole community.
The Tutt sisters, Quincy and Taiwanna, deserve special recognition for their ingenious revival of the previous year’s top performances.
The Tutts and their backup dancers eventually pushed the men off stage and took it for the women, as you can see in the video. It was a lot of fun.
And think about this. Puzzle Pieces is where Quincy works. She is a professional in this world. But equally striking is her personal endorsement of it. Quincy and her sister were involved in two battles in addition to her own. That demonstrates dedication to the cause. It’s wonderful and admirable. Quincy is more than simply a stage presence. She makes it come to life.
You can see everything that takes place on stage if you go to Lip Sync Battle or watch it online. The amount of work that goes into this event off-stage may surprise you. It’s a transformative event for a lot of the performers. Many of these individuals assess their comfort levels at the entrance. In a town like Owensboro, where we are all only “one degree separated” from one another, many of them would never dream of performing in front of 2,000 people.
When my friend Ashley Bradshaw joined the Lindow Sisters in their number inspired by the Moulin Rouge, that was definitely the case. Ashley’s social media post from Friday night, which highlights the impact of Lip Sync Battle and her personal experience with it, speaks for itself. She wrote:
When I say that being a part of this team has been an experience of a lifetime, I mean it. I really believe that every woman should identify and pursue something that challenges her comfort level. I would be the one with coordinated dance if it were possible to have a negative skill. However, I can’t express how much joy it has given me to spend week after week with these people. We have laughed and struggled, but most importantly, we have grown.
Ashley expressed her hope that her experience in Lip Sync Battle will improve her and enable her to make a more positive contribution to society as she wrapped off her article.
That’s the main goal, isn’t it? The best example is Ashley’s. This is what happens when we check ourselves at the door, roll our sleeves up, and get to work for the greater good. If it’s true that “life’s a dance you learn as we go,” we should ALL be learning that choreography. Ashley’s story is just one of dozens like it that play out on that stage- under the spotlights- and the audience isn’t even aware. Sure, they see, appreciate and applaud the final product. But, they don’t see the blood, the sweat, the tears, the anxiety, the self-doubt, the commitment and hard work that made that final product possible.
And then, as the 8th Annual Puzzle Pieces Lip Sync Battle was drawing to its close, God made a farmer. The performance by a team of local farming families was one of the most special moments in the history of Lip Sync Battle. It was funny. It was inspiring. It was emotional. It was, well, everything.
I have known Billy Reid, his wife and kids my whole life. If you know the story of Reid’s, you know that the Reid family has owned and operated their orchard on the east side of Daviess County for over 150 years. Like with all the farm families on stage Saturday night, there’s a deeply-rooted generational pride that truly grows from the soil. Billy Reid works hard. Every day. He gets to see the result of his hard word. Every single day.
But Saturday night, Billy and his fellow performers got to see a different kind of hard work pay off. I joked to the crowd that I didn’t have Billy Reid, in a cow costume, lip syncing to “Milkshake” by Kelis on my 2025 Bingo card. I have a hunch that Billy didn’t have it on his either.
I also don’t think Billy had this on his Bingo card- a rousing, sweeping, standing ovation from the crowd at the end of their performance, which concluded with a reprise of Paul Harvey’s “God Made a Farmer.” The farmers, standing in a line across the front of the stage, revealed photos of the next generations of farmers who will carry on their family traditions. That moment was so incredibly emotional. Many people in the crowd were wiping away tears as they stood on their feet and cheered. The applause was thunderous and the reasons for it extended far beyond that Lip Sync Battle performance. It was unanimous validation of heritage and hard work and family tradition and pride and invaluable community service.
I walked onto the stage and noticed Billy. He had tears in his eyes. Look, Billy is aware that the folks of this community appreciate him and his family. But Saturday, he got to see it and feel it first hand. I think that moment overwhelmed him a bit. Honestly, it overwhelmed the entire room. For nine minutes Saturday night, the phrase ‘farm to table’ became ‘farm to table to stage.’ Billy Reid, his son Brad and daughter Katie, Suzanne Cecil White, Mack Estes, Jennifer Poole, Dustin Warren, Brian Cecil, Keith Riney, and Jim Gilles harvested the evening’s defining moment.
Heck yeah! Love is indeed alive in Owensboro and Daviess County and Lip Sync Battle was a celebration of it. I am not sure there’s a more fitting name for the agency Puzzle Pieces. The truth is- we are indeed pieces of a giant puzzle. When we work together, the pieces fit together. At the Owensboro Convention Center, all those pieces came together for a remarkable night of entertainment and fundraising. Here’s to love. Here’s to diversity. Here’s to embracing and celebrating our differences. Here’s to the power of people. Here’s to you and to me and every single change we can inspire- together.
