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A good time really was had by all and for a good cause
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If you missed Effingham County’s first “Dancing With The Stars” on Saturday night at the Effingham Career Academy, you missed quite a treat.

You missed Guyton Mayor Michael Garvin busting a move to “Bust A Move.” You missed Rincon Mayor Ken Lee in a shirt that probably won’t go over well at Kroger dancing the salsa. You missed a host of other entertaining and, quite frankly, very good performances from the contestants volunteered their time and effort and the dance professionals who offered their time, talent and feet to benefit the Effingham County Victim Witness Assistance Program.

That’s who the real winner is — even though there were competitions for the most money raised and for the best dancer. Dr. James Cornwell, with a host of efforts and people from Effingham Health Systems behind him, was honored as the top fundraiser. Adam Kobek, his getup complete with white tape around the bridge of his black glasses, was named the best dancer. We might be partial in this instance, even in our quest for objectivity, but we still think our own Calli Arnold was the best dancer of the evening, competing in a frilly outfit to Lady Gaga’s “Edge of Glory.”

So far, nearly $16,000 has been raised for Victim Witness. The organization assists those who have been victims or affected by domestic violence. They are a noteworthy and worthwhile cause and though the dancing shoes have been put away for now, voting for the dancers — at $1 a pop — continues through the week on the event’s Web site, dancing.effinghamtheatre.com.

We congratulate all the dancers for giving their time and helping to raise funds for Victim Witness and special thanks also goes to the dance professionals, as well as Theatre Technical Support, which provided the lights and sound for Saturday night’s soiree.

You can’t complain of there being nothing to do in Effingham County on a Saturday night because if you missed “Dancing With The Stars,” you missed out. But don’t worry; plans are already under way for next year’s event. Saturday night’s show was sold out, with all 250 tickets being taken. We hope that kind of support continues, not only for next year’s event, but throughout the year for Effingham County Victim Witness Assistance Program.