The Valley Star Awards Show has some of the Valley’s top entertainers lined up to perform as awards are presented for Entertainer of the Year and other top entertainer awards.
Competition for the awards has been exciting and Winter Texans requested their ballots earlier this year so they could be sure to vote for their favorites.
On Saturday, Feb. 18 the Valley Star Awards Show, the Winter Texan version of the Academy Awards, will be announced in a show starting at 6 p.m. at Mission Bell Resort, 1711 E. Bus. 83, Mission. Tickets are $15 and are available at Mission Bell Resort, the Winter Texan Times and can be ordered by phone at (865) 253-2514.
Performing at this year’s show will be Bill Chrastil, Mario, Sherwin and Pam Linton, Leslie Blasing, Susan Hudson Carman and the Edinburg Folkloric Dancers.
Leslie Blasing is a “homegrown” entertainer, originally from Hondo, Texas, who could be singing in Branson with the some of the other entertainers who come to the Valley each year, but she likes it here at the Island. She works in a variety of clubs on South Padre Island and adds a few Winter Texan parks to her schedule each season. She is immensely popular with Winter Texans who voted her Female Vocalist of the Year from 2013 to 2016 and Entertainer of the Year from 2014-2016 in the Valley Star Awards.
Susan Hudson Carman was 2012 Female Vocalist of the Year. In her younger years she was a member of the USO and traveled around the United States and Canada United States entertaining troops. She has worked with notables like Charlie Rich, Ferlin Huskey, Tammy Wynette and had a role on the television show, “Hee Haw.” In 1998 she was named Ms. Country Music America, defeating 2500 other hopefuls. She has lived in Branson, Missouri since 1991, appearing in shows like the Starlighters, Elvis and the Superstars, the Ladies of Motown and Fountains of Faith.
Bill Chrastil, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was the 2016 Male Vocalist of the Year. Bill does a number of special tributes to well-known performers in his show, including Conway Twitty, Willie Nelson, Neill Diamond, and Bruce Springsteen (using the voice of Elmer Fudd). The second half of his shows are usually dedicated to Elvis. An entertainer with 30 years of experience, he has rapidly gained popularity in the Rio Grande Valley since his arrival three years ago.
Mario Rosales in known for his tribute to Rodney Dangerfield, and for his singing voice. Mario can hit those low notes no one else can reach. He sings an array of music styles from classic country to Frank Sinatra and anything in between. He lived and worked most of his life as a voiceover artist and stand-up comic in Hollywood. In 2004 he moved to Branson where he worked in several shows and developed his Rodney Dangerfield tribute. Recently, he moved to Las Vegas to be closer to his children and works in the club there when not in the Rio Grande Valley.
Sherwin Linton and his wife Pam, are entertainment phenomena. In his 62 years as an entertainer, (he started at age 16), he has yet to miss a single show. Though Sherwin was entertaining long before Pam joined him on his show and later married him, their voices – with his deep, rich sound and her high sweet sound – complement each other greatly. Sherwin is known for coming on stage in all black and saying “Hello, I’m not Johnny Cash.” He sings Cash’s music so authentically people not paying close attention might think it actually was Johnny Cash.
A special addition to this year’s entertainment is the Edinburg Folkloric Group which has entertained in a number of Winter Texan parks across the Valley.
It is bound to be a great show and everyone wants to know who won the awards for this year. Come out and join the fun!
