Event organizer Marcos Figueroa (in his guise as Exxxotica Splash) announces the winner of the 2023 Lip Sync Battle as Kayla Walker, left, and Justin Tyme nervously wait the result. Justin claimed the title.
An entertaining event that supports people with disabilities returns when the eighth Mark Pacheco WOW Fund Lip Sync Battle is held Friday, October 18.
The event takes place at the Celoron Legion, located at the corner of Fairmount and Jackson avenues. The doors will open at 6:00, and the show will start at about 8:00. Admission is $20. Patrons must be 21 years old to attend the event.
The lip-syncing competition is open to anyone. People can participate as solo acts or in a group. The cost to compete is $50 per contestant. Acts will be judged on how well they lip sync; the creativity of their performance; and their “WOW” factor. First place is worth $500, second place is $250 and third is $100.
People wishing to compete must register in advance by phoning event organizer Marcos Figueroa at 716-951-6118.
In addition to the lip-syncing competition, professional lip-syncing artists Danyel Vasquez and Coco Vega are slated to entertain. Besides the on-stage entertainment, there will be drawings for dozens of prizes donated by area businesses, as well as drawings for cash prizes. Since this year’s event falls close to Halloween, there also will be a costume contest.
The WOW Fund Lip Sync Battle is organized by The Resource Center and Filling the Gap, Inc. Proceeds from the event will be directed to The Resource Center WOW Fund at the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation. The WOW (Working on Wonders) Fund supports Chautauqua County residents with disabling conditions to enjoy recreational and travel experiences they otherwise could not afford.
The fund was created in memory of Mark Pacheco, an employee of The Resource Center who died in 2010 of injuries sustained in an altercation on a Jamestown street. Pacheco’s family and friends suggested the establishment of the WOW Fund as a tribute to him and to create something positive from his death.
“I took this opportunity to make a bad situation into something I know Mark would love,” Figueroa, Pacheco’s friend and co-worker, said of the Lip Sync Battle and the WOW Fund. “The money raised goes to individuals with developmental disabilities to grant a wish or a dream that they may have or want but just do not have enough funds.”
Southern Chautauqua Federal Credit Union is helping to sponsor this year’s WOW Fund Lip Sync Battle.
For more information about the Mark Pacheco WOW Fund Lip Sync Battle, phone Figueroa.
