MacDill children put on the Ritz at Youth Center

  • Published
  • By Nick Stubbs
  • Thunderbolt editor
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  It was a Friday night to remember for the children of the MacDill Youth Center -- and their parents -- as the youths staged a fashion and talent show in celebration of the Month of the Military Child.

The event was the idea of Christine Moore, assistant programs director of the center, who dubbed the night the MacDill Youth Center Fashion and Talent Show Expo Spring 2013.

The name is a mouthful, Moore admitted, but it's all about the children.

"The children are our future is the theme," Moore said. "They all have been practicing, and they helped with all the decorations and signs."

Some 100 children and parents were on hand for the evening, which featured youths from the center sporting various fashions and performing a range of talents, from singing and rapping, to piano solos.

"It's the first time we've ever done this," said Moore, who added that it was so well received that it may be repeated in the future.

"I think it was just awesome," said Laura Vespa, whose two children participated in the talent portion of the show. "The kids were very talented and there was a lot of creativeness out there."

The evening, staged on the basketball court, included a free buffet and refreshments, with fresh bouquets of flowers the children were allowed to take home with them after the show.

"It was adorable," said mom Sophia Edmunds, who's daughter sang as part of a trio in the show. "This is a wonderful thing for the children."

From the perspective of the children, Alycia Rodriguez, 10, perhaps summed it up best.

"It was fun."