Golden Years Holiday Celebration Sponsored by CBC Going 60 Years Strong

Capitol Broadcasting once again teamed with the City of Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources department, presenting the 60^th Annual Golden Years Celebration. The program took place at the Raleigh Convention Center on Tuesday, December 19, 2017. Attendees included members of the City of Raleigh’s Golden Years Clubs.

Attendees arrived downtown for a full, hot breakfast, followed by a slate of musical performances.

The City of Raleigh supports the 40 clubs in the Golden Years program, which serves over 2,000 active adults. The first Golden Years Holiday Celebration took place in the WRAL studios in 1958.

WRAL-TV Anchors Gerald Owens and Brian Shrader were joined by Kathryn Brown for her first stint emceeing the program. Brown recently moved from weekend anchor to being on the news desk with Owens during several evening newscasts on WRAL.

A variety of dignitaries welcomed the seniors to the annual event including Raleigh Mayor Nancy McFarlane. Sean Malone and Kate Pearce, both working with the efforts at Dorothea Dix Park, shared details about the plans for the park.

“This is a once in a generation opportunity to do something extremely useful to our community,” said Pearce.

Todd Riddick, Adult Program Director for the City of Raleigh Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources also provided a greeting. He and his staff made the official donation of the almost 600 stockings and over $300 collected by the Golden Years Clubs for the Salvation Army.

A wide array of musical talent provided entertainment for the morning. Rozlyn Sorrell offered a couple of powerful numbers. The teen group The Capital Ambassadors sang and danced with energy, and WRAL-TV Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel delighted the crowd with a surprise appearance and played “White Christmas” on his tuba.

The Legacy Motown Revue got the crowd on their feet, singing and dancing to classic tunes. And Leon Jordan and His Continentals closed out the event with a few big band tunes. Fishel returned to the stage for “New York, New York” with the rest of the brass.

Santa and Mrs. Claus milled through the crowd during the morning. And all seniors went home with a 60^th anniversary Golden Years Holiday Celebration mug and ornament designed by CBC, as well as a poinsettia.

Attendees can relive the fun, and the folks at home can join in, as WRAL-TV will broadcast a “Golden Years Holiday Special” on Christmas Day at 12:30pm.