Good morning, good morning, good morning, and welcome, welcome, welcome.
It is at time now for our community connection right here on K one,
the one you trust. So put on your dance shoes because we are
talking with our stars today and they are the Bartlesville Stars for Pants to Independence.
Dancing with the Bartlesville Stars, Miss Sarah Freeman, we see you a
lot around here. How you been I'm good, thanks for having us and
Rusty got we see you in here usually with Miss Charley. I am that's
right, I've been good, been good. All right. So you got
the hustle, you got the bump, you got the waltz, you got
the rumba, you got it, you got it all going on. How
your ankles holding up, young lady. Yeah, I mean they're hanging up.
But this isn't this isn't for the faint of heart. This is some
rigorous training and practice and coaching. It's really fun. We're having a great
time. So Rushy, how you doing? You kind of mailing it in
or you No, no, no, no, there's no We are fully
focused and involved. And I told my wife after the first couple of practices,
there's muscles. I didn't realize I had oh you'll find that. Yeah,
but no, we're ready. And you named all those dance routines.
Ours is next level. It's Ken and Barbie. Oh that's in Echelona in
and of itself. Well there you go together, all right, So tell
us a little bit, Patsy Independence Recurts is our wonderful school that's right here
on the East Frank Phillips Boulevard used to be the old Will Rogers School,
and it's a school that is sought out by a lot of people. There
are people who actually moved to Bartlesville just so their kids can attend this school
and for kids who are on the autistic spectrum, and they do a wonderful
job and it is probably one of the best places you can put your money,
and especially if you want to have some fun and watch people dance and
have fun and do all this. I understand we have something called virtual ticket
sales going on. Explain that to me, So you know what, this
will be my first year participating in the first year going it's completely sold out.
Like it is, it's sold out weeks ago. But I think partnering
with kwo in, we were able to come up with virtual ticket sales,
so if you were bummed maybe you didn't get to go in person, No
worries. If you give a minimum of fifty dollars, you can go to
the voting section in the barzel Pti Dancing with the Stars section. Then you'll
get a link to watch it in about three or four a few days before
before the show. Yeah. Please, It's another way to another way to
get involved, another way to drum up some more money for this wonderful organization.
I drive by it every single day before going and leaving work and didn't
realize the impact that really made to our community. And so when we did
kind of our kickoff session the mid August, it's easy, you know,
why not give to this great organization? Now, Sarah, you've been working
hard, and you always work hard at everything you do. But but this
has been a lot of fun. But it's also been a lot of work,
hasn't it? It has? But you know, what better way to
support the community than by making just a complete fool of ourselves. Oh no,
We've all kinds of people, and I'm raising money for a great you're
having fun, don't don't play it off. I know you're having a ball.
Oh no, we are definitely having fun and it's been a really good
experience. We have a coach that's been helping us, a choreographer, and
she says that we're doing good, so we're believing her. She would never
lie and we got to give a little shout out to Jim Williams. That's
our choreography. Well, this is really cool. Now the virtual tickets are
great because this is we had stand by the last time when we were talking
about this on the air in case, you know, somebody you know got
called out of town or you know, the sickness or something like that,
tickets could be used. But now this way with fifty bucks, it goes
to Paths and the independence and you get to watch it on TV and you
can really use it to you know, have a live streaming party. Oh
I know, I have family that is out of town that wouldn't be able
to attend, so now this is a way that they'll be able to watch.
So really just expand the network of people that can vote, support PTI
and watch us do some amazing dancing. A little thing you need to know
is that with k onetv dot com you can watch that, especially with your
special length when you make your donation. You can get that on Roku,
and you get that on Apple TV as well as your computer. So if
you got the old big screen, the big plasma out there in the living
room, you know you need to be on the big screen. Yeah,
you need to be. I mean that's just talent is bigger than life.
I can tell you it's good. Now, this has really been something else.
How long have you been working sair? We started in August I think
was when we had our kickoff meeting, and then we started doing our practices
not too long after that. Once we kind of got our plan in action,
and now we're pretty steady and meeting regularly. I will say, I
don't want to give away all of our secrets and tell people how much we're
really working. So Rushie, how light are you on her feet? I
don't know how to take what you just said there, Tom, but I
will say that it has been a lot of fun, and I think both
of us are more than willing to embarrass ourselves for free. Oh so to
know that we're able to do it for a great organization. I mean,
again, this is an easy, easy way to get signed up. This
is this is really pretty cool. You know the thing is is that every
person I've met over the last few years who participated in this, they came
bit too it kind of going ah, shucks, I don't oh gosh,
she willis. And then they come back out like can I do it again?
You know, everybody really got a really good rush, a really good
rush from participating and helping raise money. Well, you know, I have
to say that I have a great mentor at the Credit Union, Mark Wilburn,
who is our COO. He was in the very first Dancing with the
Stars. He was the very first act of the very first Dancing with the
Stars, I believe, and you know it's kind of his claim to fame
around the office, but he has been encouraging and said it's going to be
so much fun, you're gonna love it, and I believe it to be
true. So but we're having a great time now for the folks who don't
know. We're going to be doing this at the community center, and it
takes a lot of people to fill that up, and you field it up
so good on you first of all, and the way that you go about
it. Of course, if you go to the past, to the Independence
website, look for Dancing with Bartlefield Stars one of the events. Just click
on it and I'll give you the how too. I have to do just
kind of look around there it'll be there. Just you know, click search
boom you there. Fifty bucks to get the link. But you know if
you got a thousand, yeah, I have to even pay because it's that
time of year, you know, I'd rather give it to the independence in
that deep dark hole they call the federal government. That I mean absolutely,
we want you to find an easy way to make that those donations. Those
donations also kind of votes. So when people go in and make a donation
or buy a ticket, they get to pick a team, and we want
them to pick us because we are amazing, because Kennon Barbie is like the
best couple of twenty twenty three besides maybe Taylor Swift and Travis Kelsey. But
you know, it's a great opportunity for people to give to a good organization,
support the school, and vote for Sarah and rest. Now, can
you tell us a little bit about what you're going to be presenting and what
what dances there are you going to be putting together here for this? Well,
we really can't. It's very fourteen classified yeah, you have to get
the ticket to see it. Yeah, yeah, I don't want to spoil
anything. Yeah, we will spoil it. But there is a movie,
the Barbie Movie, and there are definitely some things that are just plucked right
out of there, just spot on, and it's gonna be a lot of
Yeah, it's gonna be very entertaining. I'm going to take your word for
it, and I'm gonna go get a ticket so I can watch this,
because you know, I'm sitting there like, all right, it's too good
to be true. I got to see how this works. I want to
know what else you know about other dancers? What other information can you give
us? Chris Reebard's got nice shoes, nice shoes. Yeah, okay,
that's all. That's all. He was just a secret DIVI. You guys
work good. Good. That's good to know. Yeah. So you see
every basically goes well, the radio telling you absolutely nothing about what we're going
to do. But it's for a good cause, and this is really cool.
This means you have to watch it any way you can, And of
course the best way to do it now is to go to the website and
just find out all your options. And you can also find out how this
all works and why it's so much fun and why it's such a great cause
right here in our community. Yeah, I think that people really underestimate the
value that PTI brings to Bartlesville and to our education system in general, the
way that they collaborate with the school district, and really, you know,
like you mentioned, people move here. People come from four different counties to
bring their kids to PTI and what a great, great resource that is.
It is, and you know, I'm just about a block away from the
school. We're pretty protective of it because you know, folks intends to get
a little ottle liquid there in the air, like all your horses here.
We got the kids got that, you know, and usually mind their manners
and take good care of everything. But it's really a special resource, and
we really love them as neighbors, to be quite honest with you, doing
all kinds of great things on the inside that you can't see from the outside.
But if you go to the website you can figure out, you know,
really easy. You got pictures about all the improvements that are going on
there and how they can best help kids adapt to their own abilities to what's
going on around them and it's really kind of a little miracle that we have
right here. Yeah, it's really fascinating. It's great to see. And
you know, one of the traditions of Dancing with the Stars is for one
of the students and staff to dance together. And so there is a student
staff partner that will be participating and they'll be really fun to watch as well.
This is going to be fun. Now. I worked a little something
here with the dentist a couple of years ago. We did we did a
grilled cheese cook on for PTI, and we had we had students that were
helping out with the cooking aspect of it all. Of course, Dennis and
I got to eat all savage, but I mean it's a lad. It
was a win for me. I tell you what, you put food in
front of a fat boy, you're good. But anyway, I enough about
that, Rusty. Now, what can you tell folks that you can say
about this and what makes your your team so valuable to the overall success of
this big Dancing with the Partials field starts extrata down. Well, we're getting
deep, Tom, We're getting real deep. So I'll start with we're competitive.
All the teams are quite competitive, but at the end of the day,
it is about PTI and so we want while we want all your money
on your boats, as long as you're just giving, that's all that really
matters. At the end of the day, it does. So what really
sets us apart. I want to tell you, Tom, I just they
made me sign an NDA before I came in here, and so I'm really
nervous about what I can and can't say. All I can tell is ken
and Barbie, Barbie, Kennon Barbie, you go to other Man, Mala
Bo Barbie, up and down in all around. It's gonna be It's gonna
be funny. Yep, it's gonna be something. Well. You know,
the thing is, this is something that happens once a year and it never
gets tiring because you just never know what the heck's gonna happen. Like last
year, you know, there there were tons of money raised last year,
and I know we're gonna raise as much, if not more, this year.
But I mean, there's some eye popping presentations, there are some very
fun presentations, but overall it is just thoroughly entertaining, and that's really what
it's kind of all about. As far as the visual and the expectation,
but the real good feel good is when you make that gift. I think
when I last year was my first year to attend, and I think by
going and seeing it, that's when I thought, Okay, maybe I could,
I could maybe think about participating in this. And now I'm really happy
that I made that choice because it's gonna be really fun. But yeah,
it's a it's a great event. It's real cheeky and fun and everybody has
a good time with it and that's what makes it so great. Rusty,
how'd you get interested in it? You know, there's a person by the
name of Jenny Brown. I don't know. There's probably six or seven people
in bartelw that know Jenny Brown. She twisted my arm a little bit and
immediately my mind went to, oh no, I can't do that. But
kind of like when we talked about big Brother Big Sister, when I put
myself in the shoes of the kids, it was like, what it's not
about me, let's go, let's go embarrass myself, which again I still
think, are are we really going to embarrass ourselves? I think I think
it's a top shelf act. That's kind of how I got involved, so
give it up to Jenny Brown. She helped twist my arm a little bit.
Well, this is absolutely outstanding and this is a lot of fun.
Folks. Go to the website with PTI Paths two Independence, Paths two Independence
right here in Bartellsvielle, and it'll tell you all about how you can make
your vote count for the kids and also for the dancers of your choice too.
And get that ticket so you can watch everyone in there glory on k
one tv dot com with that special special virtual ticket too. I want to
thank you both for coming by today. I know this is a lot of
fun, you know, being in here on a nice kind of rainy day.
You get out of the elements and you get to kind of say,
yeah, we're doing it and have some fun with pants and independence. But
folks, once again you've been listening to our community connection, Rusty Sarah,
thank you again. You've just been a dream to be with today. Thank
you, sir. Having all right, folks, stay toun. We got the