The Cactus Cuties slept in on Sunday, September 6th so they would be well rested for the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon.  They ate breakfast (adhering to their no sugar and dairy singer’s diet) in the Coronado Cafe at the South Point Hotel and Casino and met in Cami’s room at 1:00 pm to prepare for the Telethon.  The Cuties reported to the Telethon at 4:00 pm to rehearse with the ensemble for “God Bless America.”  Rehearsal went extremely well, and the Cuties were looking forward to performing with the legendary Jerry Lewis!!  After rehearsal, the Cuties changed into their stage clothing and went straight to “hair and makeup.”  The Telethon began at 6:00 pm and before their first performance, the Cuties met many of the other artists waiting to perform including Lee Greenwood, George Wallace, Billy Gilman, and their new friend Wynonna Judd.  When performance time came, the Cuties were led to the stage.  The Cuties performed “God Bless America” with the ensemble under the direction of Anita Mann, and as the song came to an end they surrounded Mr. Jerry Lewis in a giant bear hug!!!!  The Cuties quickly returned to their dressing room to change clothing for their next numbers.  Cami quickly fixed hair, changed ribbons, and gave them the final look-over before ushering them back to the stage.  Mr. Jerry Lewis introduced the Cuties and they brought the audience to their feet with “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “That’s Right (You’re Not From Texas).”  After a great performance, the Cuties attacked the sweets in the green room and visited with the other artists!!!  They loved chatting with Mr. Neal McCoy and had a blast making goofy country faces with him!!!  While they were hanging in the green room, Cami heard some familiar voices rehearsing in one of the dressing rooms.  She nearly fainted when she found out that it was one of her favorite groups to listen to when she was in junior high, All-4-One!!!  Cami grabbed the Cuties, and their talent escort introduced them to All-4-One.  The guys were so gracious, and they sang two songs for the Cuties.  Cami and the Cuties were soooooo impressed!!!  It was an incredible ending to the evening!!!  The Cuties spent the next day playing in Vegas!  They went swimming, enjoyed a bit of shopping, and screamed their little heads off on a scary roller-coaster.  As the Cuties flew home to Lubbock, they were very thankful for another wonderful experience with Mr. Jerry Lewis and the inspiring people with MDA. 

photographer: Leanna Elbert

The Cactus Cuties had been looking forward to returning to Las Vegas for the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon all year long!  They arrived at the South Point Hotel and Casino on Friday, September 4th.  The Cuties were extremely excited because they were booked to sing two songs on the telethon this year!!!  They woke up early on Saturday morning and went to Cami’s room to warm-up before reporting to sound-check at 8:00 am.  The Cuties did a quick run-through of their two songs, “That’s Right (You’re Not From Texas) ” and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”   After sound-check, they took seats in the audience to enjoy some of the other artists’ rehearsals.  The Cuties watched as an ensemble of singers rehearsed “God Bless America,” featuring Mr. Jerry Lewis himself.  The very talented choreographer, Anita Mann, was working with the stage manager Debbie Williams to make the number interesting and exciting when they noticed the Cuties sitting in the audience.  Debbie called Cami down to the stage and asked if the Cuties knew “God Bless America.”  Cami assured her they were very familiar with the song and would be more than willing to help in any way they could.  So, they grabbed the Cuties and added them to the Jerry Lewis feature song!!  The very excited Cactus Cuties took their places in the front of the ensemble, Anita stood in for Mr. Jerry Lewis, and they quickly rehearsed.  As they were finishing rehearsal, country superstar Wynonna Judd walked on stage for her sound-check.  The Cuties were introduced to Wynonna and she joined in as they sang her a greeting! She was very kind and gracious and posed for a few pictures with the Cuties.  Wynonna then took the stage and the Cuties watched in awe as she rehearsed.  After saying goodbye to Wynonna, the Cuties ran to the bowling alley to test their bowling skills.  While the Cuties played, Madeline’s mom Kim and Cami made a mad dash to the mall to find red and blue clothing for the Cuties to wear for the Jerry Lewis feature song.  On the way to the mall, Cami called home to Aunt Terri and asked her to record and email harmonies for “God Bless America” so Cami could teach the Cuties their parts that evening.  Kim and Cami returned from the mall with many red and blue options for the Cuties from Forever 21, and Cami taught the Cuties Aunt Terri’s arrangement of “God Bless America.”  They all went to bed that night thankful for the Cutie Family and looking forward to the Telethon!!!!                      

photographer: Leanna Elbert