By LEONARD GRAY

NORCO – The 10th annual variety show for the Norco Adult Day Care Center, recently held in the Sacred Heart School auditorium, offered its accustomed selection of uplifting songs, jazzy dance routines and ear-to-ear smiles.

Deborah Mayeux, a St. Charles Catholic High School senior and daughter of Dwayne and Dianne Mayeux of LaPlace, wowed the audience with her singing, as did 15-year-old Ashley Herrick of Ponchatoula and LaPlace resident Tracie Trollinger.

Additional songbirds included Jacquie Daniels of LaPlace and Dwight Boyd of Luling. Other highlights included the dance routines from the Dixie Cloggers and the Sassy Steppers, along with dance performances by Rachel Respess, 12, and Ariel Mayer, 11, both of Destrehan, representing Johanna’s Jazz-in-Motion.

The afternoon’s events began with Daniel’s rollicking “Boy from New York City” and “God Bless the Child.” Mayeux then evoked happy tears with “Georgia” and “Wind Beneath My Wings.”

From there, the Dixie Cloggers and the Sassy Steppers tap-danced their way into the audience members’ hearts. Trollinger warbled “Poor Me” and Dwight Boyd stirred the crowd with “To God Be the Glory.”

Gregory Knight’s keyboard rendition of “No Holly for Miss Quinn” was followed by Herrick’s mature offering of “Angels in Waiting.”

With door prizes and drawings, the large crowd continued to be held, and with the Norco Adult Day Care Chorus offering a guitar-accompanied “Bye, Bye Blackbird” and “God Bless America,” the audience cheered its way into the second half of the festive program.

Trollinger offered “Broken Wing” and Herrick delivered “I Will Always Love You,” with the remainder of the program including more dance routines from Dance Unlimited, the Dixie Cloggers and the Sassy Steppers.

Even with a smaller audience than usual, Norco Adult Day Care director Kathleen Landry was delighted with the enthusiasm by the audience and the performers.

Money raised at the annual show benefits the center and its many programs.