Published: March 12, 2007 08:45 am      

Shelton heads home for Raindance II

Ada’s own Blake Shelton and others are already in the planning stages for Raindance II, a follow-up to the hugely successful Raindance fund-raiser that Ada hosted last May, with tickets going on sale Monday.

Event organizer Kaynette Shelton said the goal this year is to top last year’s three day event. But after the success of last year’s fund-raiser, that may prove to be a challenge.

“He’s [Blake] trying really hard to make it bigger and he wants to do it every year,” she said. “He’s already released Craig Morgan this year as a performer because he was supposed to be here last year. The performers that I know he’s confirmed are great, they’re awesome. They’re people who aren’t susceptible to others coming up. They’re not going to be like ‘stay away from me’ or ‘I’m too good to talk to you.’ They’re all people who come from an area like ours and are just fortunate enough to do what they do.”

Last May, Shelton held a three-day event consisting of an archery tournament, rodeo and a concert featuring several country music celebrities, with all proceeds raised going to Oklahoma residents who fell victim to wildfires in late 2005 and early 2006. The total raised was approximately $133,600.

“We’ve had the wildfires and he said that they’ve gotten a few requests from the ice storms, and there’s always tornadoes,” Kaynette said about where the money may be headed this year. “But if we keep doing it each year and keep putting money into this fund, and say, we don’t have any disasters, then we can turn our focus to, say, a rural fire department and keep it around that scene. There are all kinds of areas that can use the money. He always wants it to be non-profit.”

The events will remain the same as last year’s Raindance, with only slight modifications to the silent auction that will be held the night of the concert.

“I’m getting all of the prizes and I’m going to pick five things that are going to go on display in the auction,” she said. “And we’re selling $5 raffle tickets for everything else and we’re going to give that way throughout the show. For $5, you can win an autographed guitar or a prize like that. More people have a chance that way.”

Kaynette said the event will be held in April this year because Blake wanted to do a turkey hunt with the winner of the archery tournament on his ranch near Tishomingo. She also compared Raindance to events in Ada from years past.

“I think of it like the Ken Lance Rodeo,” she said. “When I was a kid, that was a big deal and you knew it was coming every September and waited to see a poster to come out, and we don't have that anymore. I think this could be our ‘Ken Lance.’”

Kaynette said Raindance just doesn’t have appeal to Ada, but both statewide and nationally.

“Ada’s chosen for this because this is where Blake’s from, and we’re the host city, and I think people have missed the point that, it’s not just for our area,” she said. “This is a statewide thing, and we’re bringing people to Ada not only from all of Oklahoma but I think last year, I had ticket sales as far as Nebraska. The First Lady and Governor Henry are putting in their name with it, and I’m going to go meet with her, and 15 states that surround us, wanting to be involved. It’s good for Ada merchants, too, because it’s bringing a lot of people here.”

She said last year they had 3,400 tickets available and sold out and plan on keeping the same amount for this year’s concert as well, because Kerr Center was near capacity, and that the archery tournament is free of charge to watch.

“I don't think people realize that the archery tournament is free to watch,” she said. “Those guys are just walking around out there and you can go talk to them and get your picture made and get an autograph. It was really laid back and none of them acted opposed to anyone coming up and talking to them.”

Reserved and general admission tickets for Raindance II go on sale Monday and can be purchased at www.oklahomaraindance.com or at KYKC Radio in Ada. Sponsorships or donations can also be made at the website.

For more information regarding Project Build and where the money went last year, see page 1C of the Lifestyles section.