By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great local journalism.
Oak Grove Opry set for weekend
Showcase marks 20th anniversary
Placeholder Image
Forsyth County News
If you go
What:
Oak Grove Opry XX
When: 7 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Where: Oak Grove Baptist Church, 5640 Oak Grove Circle
Tickets: at the door, $7 for adults, $5 children
Contact: www.oakgrove-baptistchurch.com

You could say Russell Moore pretty well knows the music of Conway Twitty through and through.

After all, the Forsyth County resident has been impersonating Twitty for the past 20 years at the Oak Grove Opry, and he'll do it again this weekend, along with numerous other acts mimicking and lip-syncing country stars old and new.

The 20th anniversary of the event Friday through Sunday will be a "best of" the past years in country music, according to church member Cindy J. Mills.

Mills said the show boasts performances by impersonators of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, as well as some more recent artists like Tim McGraw.

"Some people can't even tell they're lip-syncing," Mills said. "They dress the part and look and act like the person."

Mills said when Moore took the stage for the first time 20 years ago, his Twitty persona brought laughter and smiles to the church. She said it was a breath of fresh air at the time.

"We had a lot of tragedies in our church that year," Mills said of car and airplane crashes that took the lives of beloved members. "We needed something to help us laugh again."

Moore said it's all about laughter.

"It's goofy sometimes, but it's all about having a good time with your family in a good atmosphere," he said.

He recalled how stage fright hit him when he was 16 years old and stepped out in front of the audience for the first time.

"It still does," Moore said. "Stage fright every time, but it's fun for me. I try to keep it a little comical."

Mills said the event's brand of entertainment lends itself to all ages.

"Teenagers love to see their fellow teens perform, and a lot of older people really love it too," she said.

The show benefits children who want to attend Oak Grove Church Camp in Toccoa. Funds from the show help lower the cost of attending the summer Christian camp.