On May 5, 2021, the Timber Pines community Snowbird Club and New York State Club joined forces to put on a spectacular evening of magic and music for their members. This was the first live group indoor event since the beginning of the Pandemic, which is not something to be taken lightly. After over a year of the Timber Pines Performance Center being closed due to COVID-19, this evening of entertainment, song and laughter was extremely welcome and long awaited.
“As soon as we found out that Timber Pines was opening up its amenities, we jumped on the idea of having a joint event. We sent out an email to our members and before we knew it, we had a hundred and one people,” said Donna Sievers, President of the Snowbird Club.
The evening began with an Italian buffet dinner catered by the Timber Pines Country Club where guests appreciated being allowed to bring their own drinks. After dessert was served, it was show time. The first act was local entertainer Jacob Hunt, singer, comedian and impressionist specializing in the 50s through the 80s. Jacob had the audience singing along with his wonderful Elvis Presley impressions one minute, and the next, he had everyone on their feet when he sang “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood as a very moving tribute to the many veterans in the audience.
Next up was local comedy magician, Elliott Smith, who performed a highly interactive comedy magic show bringing up people from the audience to help him with some of his magic tricks. Elliott’s clever combination of magic and comedy had people roaring with laughter throughout the show while wondering how in the world he did his tricks. At the end he had everyone throwing their arms up in the air yelling out in unison, “Elliott you’re amazing!” in response to his final illusion.
Carolee Farrell, President of the New York State Club, came up with the idea to book local entertainers rather than bring in entertainers from outside Hernando County. She said, “We like to give back to the community in which we live, so this is an ideal way to do it. Rather than import entertainers from outside, why not just support the entertainers living right here in Spring Hill? And as we’ve seen, we have a number of very talented people who live around here.”
Elliott had performed his comedy magic show for the New York State Club a few years ago and was a huge hit, so when it was time to select performers for this special evening and the idea came up to keep it local, Elliott immediately came to mind. When Carolee saw Jacob Hunt performing at the local Cody’s, she knew she wanted him to be the other local entertainer to perform that evening.
The event was not just a big deal for Timber Pines. It was a special night for the performers as well.
“It was wonderful being on stage again performing for a live audience after such a long hiatus due to COVID and to feel the excitement, energy and anticipation that filled the room. Everyone was very receptive and appreciative, this being their first show since March 2019. It was a night filled with lots of fun, laughs and hilarious moments created by myself and the opening act, Jacob Hunt, a very professional and entertaining singer, comic and impersonator. Definitely a night to remember by all!” said Elliott Smith.
“This was my first big indoor show since COVID struck and it was so good to be back on a real stage. This was the most fun I’ve ever had at a show. The audience was electric, the venue was beautiful, and the act I opened for was awesome. Big thank you to comedy magician, Elliott Smith, for putting on a hilarious show,” said Jacob Hunt.
The Timber Pines Snowbird and New York State Clubs look forward to planning more live events to come.
