The Cactus Cuties arrived at Country Jam in Grand Junction, CO at noon on Friday the 27th for an on-site interview with The Moose 100.7, which started the day off with a bang!  The Cuties spent the afternoon singing and signing autographs before reporting backstage to prepare for the evening’s performance.  As the Cuties were walking backstage, the event coordinator ran up to them and said they were needed on stage.  Diamond Rio was having technical issues with their gear and the stage manager asked the Cactus Cuties to kill some time for them on stage.  The Cuties gladly went out and told the crowd about their new book and sang a chorus of “We Are Family.”  When the Cuties finished, they ran right into Diamond Rio who said they were already familiar with the Cuties and they would be sure and watch the Cuties sing the anthem.  The Cuties ran back to their trailer and changed clothes for their quickly approaching performance.  Diamond Rio rocked the crowd with their awesome harmonies and memorable songs, and the Cuties were standing by when they finished their set.  They were so sweet to the Cuties, posed for pics with them, and wished them luck. The Cuties took the stage, stood at attention as the color guard approached, looked out at the crowd of 70,000 people, and sang their hearts out.  The Cuties were so thankful Wounded Warriors brought them to Grand Junction because Country Jam 2008 was an amazing gig the Cuties would never forget!!!

photographer: Leanna Elbert

The Cactus Cuties were ecstatic to be asked by Wounded Warriors to perform on Country Jam 2008 in Grand Junction, CO.  The Cuties could hardly believe it when they were told who would be performing at Country Jam as well…Diamond Rio, Clay Walker, Josh Turner, Sugarland, and Tim McGraw to name a few!!!  The Cuties flew to Grand Junction on the evening of Wednesday the 25th and went to bed to prepare for media interviews early the next morning.  On Thursday morning, they woke up at 4:00 am to get dressed and warm their voices up.  They reported first to KKCO NBC Channel 11 for a television interview.  The Cuties promoted their book and sang one chorus of “Children of America” on air.  When they finished with the interview, they went straight to MBC Grand Broadcasting to visit the radio stations.  The Cuties did interviews with The Moose 100.7, KSTR 96.1, and KNZZ 1100 and then headed to Country Jam to check out the site.  On the Country Jam grounds they met the man in charge, Mr. Ty, and did a little crazy dancing to the extremely loud music as the sound crew tested the system.  They said goodbye to their new friend and headed to another television interview with KJCT ABC Channel 8.  The Cuties did the interview outdoors and it was very hot, but it went well.  They ended the mini media tour with one last radio interview with KJOL 620.  After all the media, the Cuties were exhausted and headed back to the hotel to take a nice, long nap!  After a few hours they woke up and headed to an appreciation party thrown by Wounded Warriors for all the military and volunteers participating in Country Jam.  They made friends with the soldiers and were honored to meet them all.  The party was a perfect ending to the day, and made the Cactus Cuties even more excited about Country Jam!

photographer: Leanna Elbert

The Cactus Cuties got all dolled up and were excited to be singing for the 103rd Manufacturers’ Association of Northwest Pennsylvania Annual Event.  They were honored to meet guest speakers, John Edwards, Fred Thompson, and Ari Fleischer.  The Cuties sang the National Anthem and were then escorted to their table for the rest of the evening.  The Cuties loved the mini deserts that decorated the table and made sure they sampled them all!!!  After the event, the Cuties took a walk on the edge of Lake Erie and watched the sunset.  They then ran back to their hotel room, found gift baskets full of candy, and enjoyed more sugar while they watched the movie, August Rush.  Finally after a long and thrilling day, the Cactus Cuties crashed!  On Thursday morning, the Cuties were picked up in a limo and driven to the airport.  They boarded the private Leer jet and sang all the way back home!!!  The Cactus Cuties were so thankful for the unbelievable journey and would always remember their friends with the 700 Club and The Manufacturers’ Association of Northwest Pennsylvania!!!!

photographer: Allyson Wall

The Cactus Cuties awoke early on Thursday, June 18th and headed to The 700 Club studio.  They were pampered by hair stylists and makeup artists and then reported to sound check.  The Cuties loved being on the elaborate set with the beautiful lighting and big cameras.  Sound-check ran smoothly, and the taping went extremely well.  The Cuties sang the Star Spangled Banner, did an on-camera interview with Terry Meeuwsen, and sang one chorus of their new song, “Children of America.”  They received lots of positive feedback from the staff and crew and were extremely happy with their performance.  After saying goodbye to their new-found 700 Club friends, the Cactus Cuties hit the road to turn in their rental van and catch a flight to Erie, PA to perform for the Manufacturers Association of Northwest Pennsylvania that very evening!  When the Cactus Cuties arrived at the rental facility, they were shocked to discover a Hummer Limousine waiting for them.  They screamed in delight as they ran to the limo and giggled all the way to the regional airport.  The Cuties watched in amazement as the limo drove them right out onto the runway and the driver opened their door to reveal a private Leer jet!  They jumped for joy and piled into the seven passenger plane.  They were so excited they sang their hearts out as the plane took off and headed for Erie.  When the Cuties arrived in Erie, they stepped out of the plane to find another limo waiting to take them to the Hotel and Conference Center.  They dropped off their luggage, changed clothes, and completed a sound-check.  The room was beautifully decorated and the Cuties couldn’t wait to see what the formal event had in store for them later that evening!

photographer: Allyson Wall

The Cactus Cuties’ adventure on the road continued as they piled into a rental van and headed to Virginia Beach, VA to tape the television show The 700 Club.  They arrived in Virginia Beach on Monday, June 16th and had all of Tuesday, June 17th to explore the area.  The Cuties bought matching swimsuits at Limited Too, signed a few autographs in the store, and headed to the beach to play.  The plan was to only get partially in the water and to avoid getting their hair wet, since they had to sing the next morning…but the waves called out to them, and before long the Cuties were drenched!  The Cactus Cuties had a splashing good time!!!!

photographer: Allyson Wall

The Cactus Cuties were thrilled to have the opportunity to perform at the United States Capitol Building in Washington D.C. for The National Anthem Project on June 13th, 2008.  On that Friday morning, the Cuties led 1,000 school kids in the singing of The Star Spangled Banner along with The President’s Own Marine Band!  They were honored to speak to the media and encourage kids and adults all over the country to learn the National Anthem and to fully embrace the true meaning of the song.  They loved working with MENC, the organization responsible for the event and for supporting music programs in schools all over the nation.  After the performance, the Cactus Cuties toured the White House and the Capitol and ended the day by participating in a beautiful wreath laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.  The ceremony was humbling and they were honored to have been chosen to present a wreath.  The Cactus Cuties could hardly believe their voices had taken them all the way to Washington D.C.!!!

photographer: Leanna Elbert

During the month of May, the Cactus Cuties’ artistic director Cami, flew to Santa Monica, CA and co-wrote four songs with Grammy award winning producer Clif Magness.  On the week of June 2nd, Clif flew to Lubbock, TX to produce the Cuties’ vocals on the four original songs in Don Caldwell Studios.  The Cuties fell in love with Clif, and had an absolute blast in the studio.  They actually cried when the week was over, because they didn’t want to leave Clif or the studio!!!  They are thrilled to have such a great relationship with Clif and are looking forward to exciting developments with him and their music in the next few months.  The Cuties want to send a special thank you to Uncle Donnie, Aunt Terri, Cami, Toby, Sheena, Marc, and of course Clif!!  The Cactus Cuties feel really blessed to have such a great studio team on board!!!

photographer: Scott Mann

The Cactus Cuties were thrilled to receive an invitation to sing The Star Spangled Banner at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas for the MLB Texas Rangers vs. Oakland A’s game on Sunday, June 1st.  When the Cuties stepped onto the field Sunday morning for sound-check, they were surprised by how large the stadium was.  It was their very first time to sing with a huge stadium echo, and they immediately adapted!  After sound-check, the Cuties returned to the hotel to prepare for the performance.  When game-time arrived, the Cuties were fired up!  They said a prayer with Cami and took their place on the field.  They felt a bit anxious as they were being announced, but the Cuties nailed the Anthem and the audience cheered!!!  After the performance, the Cuties were honored to walk through the umpire tunnel and got a kick out of posing with the mascot, “Rangers Captain.”  The Cuties spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the game and ballpark snacks, before driving back home to Lubbock.  The Cactus Cuties’ first Major League Baseball game was a success, and they could hardly wait to see what God had planned for them next!!!!

photographer: Allyson Wall

The Cactus Cuties have had incredible opportunities develop due to the popularity of their performance of The National Anthem on YouTube.  One of those opportunities led to the Cuties performing at the San Antonio Spurs Western Conference Semi Final NBA Playoff game vs. the New Orleans Hornets on Sunday, May 11th.  They were asked to perform The National Anthem and a half-time show.  The Cuties were in awe of the AT&T Center when they reported to sound-check on Sunday afternoon.  Sound-check went smoothly thanks to the fabulous sound system and the Cuties’ technical director, Toby Caldwell.  The Cuties were then escorted to their very own locker room to prepare for the game.  When game-time arrived, the Cactus Cuties held hands and walked down the long path leading to the court.  They were breathless when they stepped onto the court to sing for the 18,500 screaming fans packed into the arena.  The crowd erupted in cheers three times during The Star Spangled Banner, and the Cuties had never heard such loud applause.  The crowd cheered so loudly that the Cuties could not even hear their own voices on the last line of The National Anthem!!!  The Cuties ran off the court into Cami’s arms, as they all celebrated the phenominal moment!!!!  They skipped back to the locker room to change into their new Spurs jerseys for their next performance.  When the Cuties returned to the court for the half-time show, they were ready to rock!!!  Madeline started it off with a bang on a Three Dog Night song, Baylee grooved on a Jackson 5 tune, Blaire shocked the crowd with her dynamic yodeling, and Andi brought the house down with her soul on Aretha Franklin’s “Respect.”  The audience was on their feet as the Cuties ended their show!  After the performance, the Cuties signed tons of autographs and reported that it was one of the best evenings ever!  The Cactus Cuties never dreamed they would have the opportunity to sing at an NBA game, but they loved every minute of their time with the Spurs and hoped this was only the beginning of the surprises God had planned!!!!

photographer: Allyson Wall