Rutland City Fire Department, GMP win first Lip Sync Battle
By Polly Lynn Mikula
UPDATE, MAY 10: The event raised over $16,000 for Wonderfeet Kid’s Museum.
On Saturday night, April 29, eight teams battled it out at the inaugural Lip Sync Battle at the Paramount Theatre in Rutland. Funds raised at the event benefited Wonderfeet Kids’ Museum.
“Teams will lip sync and perform a song or a medley of songs with determination, raw talent and fun,” wrote the board of directors in the event program.
“The fire department blew it away and surprised everyone,” said Myra Peffer, executive director for Wonderfeet Kids’ Museum. The three guys had worn business suits to the dress rehearsal that morning, she explained, but then came out in pink flapper dresses and wigs for the real performance. “They rocked the house,” she said.
The three judges scoring the acts were Ed Kelly, radio personality from 94.5 The Drive; Will Gormly, owner of Mountain Cider Cmpany; and Jennifer Bagley, former drama director for Mount St. Joseph Academy. They were charged with awarding points for accuracy, creativity, and choreography to select their “Judges’ Choice” winner. Audience members also had the opportunity to weigh in on their favorites by texting to vote. The team with the most votes won the “Fan Favorite.”
The Rutland City Fire Department won the Judges’ Choice award, while Green Mountain Power (GMP) won the Fan Favorite.
The City Fire Department team was made up of Kyle Robillard, Seth Bride and Mike Delehanty in pink flapper dresses, with Nate Elwert, Mike Roy, Justin Henderson and Shannon Muscatello as background performers. Their performance began with “Fire” by the Ohio Players, but quickly transitioned into “I’m So Excited” by The Pointer Sisters.
The GMP team was made up of Steve Costello, Darlene Perry, Jennifer Denton, Marie Eddy, Colleen Landon, Rachel Thompson and Melissa McLeod, who preformed to a medley of “Electric Avenue,” “All of the Lights,” “Electric Slide,” and “My SongsKnow What YOu Did in the Dark.”
In addition to the city fire department and GMP, the six other teams included: Rutland Regional Medical Center’s “Trolls,” Museum families, “The Golden Girls,” Rutland Recreation & Parks Department’s “Rotary’s Radio Rockers,” Mount St. Joseph Academy’s “A Week in the Life of a Teacher,” Rutland City Police Department’s “Guardians of the City,” and Rutland Heart Center’s “Heart Tones.” (The Rutland Herald’s “Punks of Print” had to pull out of the competition.)
The event exceeded organizers expectations both in quality of performance and in attendance.
“I have to say I cried through all of dress rehearsal because so many people put in all this time for the museum,” said Peffer. “I was hoping to get half the theater (415) and we sold 511 tickets… That was way beyond my hopes for a first year event.”
Peffer added, “Based on the popularity and success of this first year, we hope to make it an annual event.”
Photos by Robin Alberti
