CELEBRATE SERVICE: Winter visitor concert to benefit food pantry - The News Herald

CELEBRATE SERVICE: Winter visitor concert to benefit food pantry - The News Herald

“I am thankful the lord brought me here to this community that is so generous and cares so much for those who are less fortunate," Gulf Beach Presbyterian volunteer Beverly Lutz said.

TYRA JACKSON @TyraJackPCNH

PANAMA CITY BEACH — Those looking to attend an upcoming Winter Visitor Appreciation show will be able to benefit a good cause and listen to the sweet tunes of Billy Rader.

Rader and his 10-year-old granddaughter Lilia Rader will grace the stage at the show, Lilia belting out jams from Taylor Swift and other artists and Rader delivering tributes to Chad Adkins and Glen Campbell with a side of Johnny Cash impersonations. Rader, also a Panama City commissioner, said he also plans to perform some music that helped influence his career.

“My 10-year-old granddaughter is a singing sensation,” Rader said. “She is dynamite on stage. It’s going to be an intimate show. This is something I always to do.”

But before attendees can be swayed by the performance, coordinators are asking people to donate money to the Gulf Beach Presbyterian Church food pantry.

Mugsy Parens of the Lyndell Center will be on hand not only to distribute free snacks but to collect donations from participants. Parens also took up collections for the Bay County Sheriff’s Office’s Angel’s Pantry at a Dennis Rader concert — Billy's brother — earlier this year.

“We don’t do the same pantry every time," she said. "There are so many pantries in need."

The church’s pantry served 2,448 people and 22,032 meals in 2017.

“It’s really for those who need help, and that happens to a lot of us from time to time,” volunteer Beverly Lutz said. “Our pantry is for urgent need. It’s for when you run into trouble.”

Monetary donations go into a checking account for the pantry, and volunteers shop twice a month to update the inventory of fruit, peanut butter, bread and more, she said. Volunteers also donate excess amounts of bread to Lynn Haven middle schools for backpack programs.

Lutz said members at Gulf Beach Presbyterian Church, residents and organizations donate food items and money to the pantry, doing a great job with supplying the pantry with needed items.

“I am thankful the lord brought me here to this community that is so generous and cares so much for those who are less fortunate," she said. "It’s not just a resort, it’s a great place to live.”

Rader said he’s done a lot of benefit concerts, but this performance is special.

“I love our community. It’s been good to me and my family,” he said. “I will take up an offering at the show. It’s a two-fold purpose. It’s a way to help [the pantry] and perform for our winter visitors and locals.”

The Winter Visitor Appreciation Show will be Feb. 17 at the Lyndell Conference Center, 423 Lyndell Lane. The first show will begin at 2 p.m., and the second show will start at 7:30 p.m. Doors open one hour before each show. Admission is free. For more information, call 850-236-3033.