Hillbilly Vegas, others deserve praise

Most of the time, I am proud to live in LeFlore County.

Friday night was one of the times which made me proud to live here and of our residents. The weather outside had been nasty with thunderstorms moving through the area and more storms were forecast.

Despite that, a large crowd came together to help Whitney Spangler through some difficult times.

Whitney is a 20-year old Poteau resident who recently found out she has a brain tumor.

When word got out about her illness, naturally many people wanted to help with support and for medical expenses.

Popular local band Hillbilly Vegas was one of the main supporters, arranging a concert for Friday night and bringing in several other area bands.

Hillbilly Vegas put out special t-shirts for the Concert for Whitney and their support was one of the main reasons the event was so successful.

But there were a lot of others who pitched in time and money. Many local businesses made donations and individuals had bake sales and made goodies for the pie auction, which brought in more money than I thought was possible.

There were hamburgers and hot dogs available outside the arena as Community State Bank brought their grill and CSB associates manned the grill.

Many volunteers were from Poteau schools, where Whitney’s mother works. They sold tickets, worked the gates and put in many hours to help make the event come together.

The Poteau High School softball team helped with the auction and in many other ways.

In addition to the bands performing, the Poteau High School dance team also strutted their stuff for the crowd and Jeff Jenson was the auctioneer for the pie auction.

For those who performed, helped out or came to the concert, you should be proud.