thedrifter
10-08-07, 02:13 PM
Billy Ray Cyrus performs at Quantico
By JULIE LeDOUX
jledoux@potomacnews.com
Monday, October 8, 2007
Billy Ray Cyrus brought his "achy breaky heart" to the Quantico Marine Corps base Sunday as he kicked off the Tonka and Toys for Tots national toy donation tour with a performance at Little Hall.
"You're what makes this country great," Cyrus told the Marines and their families who attended the free concert.
The multi-platinum singer/songwriter and star of the hit Disney Channel series "Hannah Montana," serves as the program's celebrity ambassador.
Hasbro, which owns the Tonka brand, is donating $3 million in toys and games to the Toys for Tots program this year. The two organizations have joined forces to give and collect toys for children in need this holiday season.
"They selected the Crossroads of the Marine Corps to initiate the tour," said retired Marine Lt. Gen. Matthew Cooper, president and chief executive officer of Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program. "Last year, U.S. Marines distributed 19.2 million toys."
General manager of Hasbro's Tonka Truck division Lorrie Copeland said there was no better place to kick off the tour than Quantico.
"Everyone at Hasbro is thrilled to kick off the 60th anniversary of Toys for Tots and Hasbro at Quantico," she said.
People began lining up in front of Little Hall around 9:30 a.m. Among the first in line were Cyrus fans Jane Rotchford and her daughter, Jennifer, of Woodbridge. The Rotchfords attended the concert in honor of Jane's sisters, Carole Burnette and Elizabeth Baldwin, who died within two weeks of each other earlier this year. Burnette and Baldwin were also Cyrus fans, according to the Rotchfords.
Jennifer said her favorite Cyrus song is "Ready, Set, Don't Go," a ballad he wrote for his daughter, Miley, who stars with him in "Hannah Montana."
"It's just a very encouraging song," she said.
"Achy Breaky Heart" is Jane's favorite Cyrus song.
"It was his break out song," she said. "It was fun to line dance to."
Wearing blue jeans and a short sleeve T-shirt emblazoned with the words "Los Angeles Speedway," Cyrus began the concert by performing "Stand Still."
"We don't want you to stand still," he said to the crowd. "We want you to stand up."
That brought the crowd to its feet.
"It's good to be with you all today," Cyrus said after he and his band finished their first song. "Thanks for coming out. It's great to see so many kids. How many of you watch 'Montana'?"
Cheers filled the auditorium in response to Cyrus' question, and one audience member yelled out, "We love you, Billy Ray."
"I love you, too," responded Cyrus, before breaking into "Ready, Set, Don't Go." Cyrus next performed "All Gave Some," a song he wrote after meeting a Vietnam veteran in the late 1980s.
"The Marines, all the vets, I'd like to say thanks from the bottom of my achy breaky heart," he said before launching into his signature song.
Following the performance, Cyrus signed autographs and yellow Tonka hard hats that were given to those who attended the event.
Departing from Quantico on Sunday, the national tour will stop in select cities before ending in California in December, with Hasbro working with local Toys for Tots units across the country to distribute toys and games to local children in need.
Among the Quantico Marines who will be working with the program this year is Staff Sgt. Juan Delgado, who will serve as the Toys for Tots warehouse manager.
"I was overseas and I worked with the embassy and got to collect toys from the community," he said of his three-year association with Toys for Tots. "A child should have a toy."
Sgt. Joshua Teynor, who has worked with Toys for Tots for two years, said nothing beats knowing that he helped put a smile on the face of a child during the holidays.
"It's great community outreach," he said of the program, which began in 1947. "And, it's great to interact with the kids."
The tour features a life-size, road ready replica of the classic yellow Tonka Dump Truck and an interactive play environment, including a 30-foot Tonka Truck slide, along with a visual retrospective on Tonka and Toys for Tots over the years.
Jett Landrum, 6, of Gainesville, was the first to make his way down the slide at Quantico.
"It was so fast," he said with a wide grin.
For more information on Toys for Tots, visit its Web site at toysfortots.org.
Ellie
By JULIE LeDOUX
jledoux@potomacnews.com
Monday, October 8, 2007
Billy Ray Cyrus brought his "achy breaky heart" to the Quantico Marine Corps base Sunday as he kicked off the Tonka and Toys for Tots national toy donation tour with a performance at Little Hall.
"You're what makes this country great," Cyrus told the Marines and their families who attended the free concert.
The multi-platinum singer/songwriter and star of the hit Disney Channel series "Hannah Montana," serves as the program's celebrity ambassador.
Hasbro, which owns the Tonka brand, is donating $3 million in toys and games to the Toys for Tots program this year. The two organizations have joined forces to give and collect toys for children in need this holiday season.
"They selected the Crossroads of the Marine Corps to initiate the tour," said retired Marine Lt. Gen. Matthew Cooper, president and chief executive officer of Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program. "Last year, U.S. Marines distributed 19.2 million toys."
General manager of Hasbro's Tonka Truck division Lorrie Copeland said there was no better place to kick off the tour than Quantico.
"Everyone at Hasbro is thrilled to kick off the 60th anniversary of Toys for Tots and Hasbro at Quantico," she said.
People began lining up in front of Little Hall around 9:30 a.m. Among the first in line were Cyrus fans Jane Rotchford and her daughter, Jennifer, of Woodbridge. The Rotchfords attended the concert in honor of Jane's sisters, Carole Burnette and Elizabeth Baldwin, who died within two weeks of each other earlier this year. Burnette and Baldwin were also Cyrus fans, according to the Rotchfords.
Jennifer said her favorite Cyrus song is "Ready, Set, Don't Go," a ballad he wrote for his daughter, Miley, who stars with him in "Hannah Montana."
"It's just a very encouraging song," she said.
"Achy Breaky Heart" is Jane's favorite Cyrus song.
"It was his break out song," she said. "It was fun to line dance to."
Wearing blue jeans and a short sleeve T-shirt emblazoned with the words "Los Angeles Speedway," Cyrus began the concert by performing "Stand Still."
"We don't want you to stand still," he said to the crowd. "We want you to stand up."
That brought the crowd to its feet.
"It's good to be with you all today," Cyrus said after he and his band finished their first song. "Thanks for coming out. It's great to see so many kids. How many of you watch 'Montana'?"
Cheers filled the auditorium in response to Cyrus' question, and one audience member yelled out, "We love you, Billy Ray."
"I love you, too," responded Cyrus, before breaking into "Ready, Set, Don't Go." Cyrus next performed "All Gave Some," a song he wrote after meeting a Vietnam veteran in the late 1980s.
"The Marines, all the vets, I'd like to say thanks from the bottom of my achy breaky heart," he said before launching into his signature song.
Following the performance, Cyrus signed autographs and yellow Tonka hard hats that were given to those who attended the event.
Departing from Quantico on Sunday, the national tour will stop in select cities before ending in California in December, with Hasbro working with local Toys for Tots units across the country to distribute toys and games to local children in need.
Among the Quantico Marines who will be working with the program this year is Staff Sgt. Juan Delgado, who will serve as the Toys for Tots warehouse manager.
"I was overseas and I worked with the embassy and got to collect toys from the community," he said of his three-year association with Toys for Tots. "A child should have a toy."
Sgt. Joshua Teynor, who has worked with Toys for Tots for two years, said nothing beats knowing that he helped put a smile on the face of a child during the holidays.
"It's great community outreach," he said of the program, which began in 1947. "And, it's great to interact with the kids."
The tour features a life-size, road ready replica of the classic yellow Tonka Dump Truck and an interactive play environment, including a 30-foot Tonka Truck slide, along with a visual retrospective on Tonka and Toys for Tots over the years.
Jett Landrum, 6, of Gainesville, was the first to make his way down the slide at Quantico.
"It was so fast," he said with a wide grin.
For more information on Toys for Tots, visit its Web site at toysfortots.org.
Ellie