Kenny Rogers Will Provide A Much Needed Morale Boost For The Region's Flood Weary

Country music legend Kenny Rogers will provide a much-needed morale boost for the region's flood-weary — and raise money to help them — during a concert in Binghamton next Thursday.The show, part of Rogers' 30th annual "Christmas & Hits Tour," will feature holiday favorites along with many of the songs that made him famous — including "Coward of the County," "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town," "She Believes In Me," "Lady," "Lucille," "Through the Years" and, of course, "The Gambler."Thanks to sponsorship from Security Mutual Life Insurance Company and other local businesses, all funds raised from ticket sales will go to three charities: Catholic Charities of Broome County, Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse and the Southern Tier Chapter of the American Red Cross.

"We've been so devastated in the last five years between the two floods, so it really was a combination of us wanting to do our part as a good corporate community citizen and wanting to have more of a healing element for the Southern Tier," said Bruce W. Boyea, Security Mutual's chairman, president and CEO.The idea for a big-name fundraising concert began in the weeks after the flooding, and the local music promoters at Magic City Productions helped to compile a list of possibilities. In the end, Rogers — who also stopped in Binghamton last December — made the most sense to attract the widest audience.

Over the past 50-plus years, Rogers played rockabilly in his native Houston, did a stint with folk stalwarts the New Christy Minstrels, broke away to form the pop/rock First Edition and finally found a home in country music with his stellar solo career. As one of music's most popular voices, he's sold 125 million albums.His latest effort, an inspirational Christian album called "The Love of God," was released earlier this year through Cracker Barrel restaurants nationwide.At next week's concert, local students — six kids from Susquehanna Valley's Brookside Elementary School and a choir from Chenango Forks High School — will join Rogers onstage for a few Christmas tunes. Fellow country singer Billy Dean will open the show and return during the holiday-themed second half of Rogers' set.

"I thought it would be a great idea for people to forget their troubles for one day to enjoy the Christmas music and also Kenny Rogers' hits. It turned out to be a perfect show for the community," said Magic City's Stuart Green. "Everybody's put a ton of work into it, and things are going very well."