Middlesboro ARH Hospital will host its first Appalachian Hoedown in the Crater on Sept. 19, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Middlesboro Community Center. The evening event, which is a fundraiser for the Middlesboro ARH Cancer Patients Assistance Fund, will excite and delight the Appalachian spirit through down-home music and dance, delicious country dishes and an old-fashioned cake walk.

“The Hoedown will be an evening to remember,” said Michael Slusher, Middlesboro ARH Community CEO. “We will have incredibly talented musicians, singers and dancers performing, a buffet of delicious food and homemade cakes for the cake walk. We also will introduce our new full-time oncology and hematology specialist Dr. Shanshal along with his clinical team, who are caring for patients with cancer.”

The Appalachian Hoedown in the Crater event will feature Steve Gulley and Friends with the Cumberland Mountain Music Show. Claiborne County native Steve Gulley is known for his lofty tenor voice and emotional delivery as an entertainer. Whether he is singing at the Cumberland Mountain Music Show in the town of Cumberland Gap or traveling with his band New Pinnacle, Gulley always delivers a high-energy performance of bluegrass, country and gospel mountain music.

Early in the evening the Bell County Beason Sisters will soothe the soul with the musical sounds of mountain dulcimers, playing old gospel tunes as well as mountain melodies. The Claiborne County Broken Spur Dance Club will kick up their heels and perform several dances and even teach basic dance steps to the crowd.

“With cancer affecting so many of our loved ones throughout the Tri-State community, it’s good to know that Middlesboro ARH now has a highly skilled oncologist with an extensive background in managing complex cancer cases,” said Elaine Smith, organizer of the event and community advocate at Middlesboro ARH. “I encourage you to come to the Appalachian Hoedown in the Crater and meet Dr. Shanshal and his staff. Every day they are embracing lives with hope through personalized treatment options with the focus on compassionate care while on a path to wellness.”

According to Smith, the money raised from event ticket sales, sponsorships, T-shirt sales and the cake walk will go to the Middlesboro ARH Cancer Patients Assistance Fund, which can help many patients who are having treatment at the Middlesboro ARH Cancer and Therapy Infusion Center, located on the third floor of the hospital.

“Though the Hoedown is for having a good time and embracing our mountain heritage, the reason why I am performing is to help local patients who are fighting cancer,” shared Steve Gulley, singer/songwriter with the Cumberland Mountain Music Show. “In fact everyone performing that night with the Cumberland Mountain Music Show feels the same as I do, and that’s why we are donating our performances. Cancer has touched too many lives in our community, and we want to do our part in helping cancer patients undergoing treatment at Middlesboro ARH Hospital. We hope you will want to do your part and come out to the Appalachian Hoedown. Your ticket price is your donation.”

Tickets are $25, age 18 and up; $15, agess 10-17; $5, ages 4-9; and children under 4 are free. You can reserve a table for eight. Middlesboro ARH also is pre-selling event T-shirts for $15 if you are interested. Make checks payable to the ARH Foundation.

For more information about the Appalachian Hoedown in the Crater, buy tickets or reserve a table, call 606-242-1222.