PIQUA — Piqua Arts Council’s premier fundraiser, Dancing with the Piqua Stars, will take place Saturday, Aug. 28, with two shows to be held at Romer’s Catering.
Dancers in the competition include partners Christy and William Hayes, partners Juli and Doug Smith, partners Janie Branson and Ron Pearson, partners Tina and Daniel Rudy, and partners Tanya Stewart and Craig Smith, and dancers Amanda Hayward and Kristie Dankworth.
Christy Hayes, is married to her dance partner for life, Bill Hayes, and has two adult daughters who both live in Chicago. She is the director of Piqua Catholic’s Preschool Program, The Center for Early Learning.
William “Bill” Hayes, is a retired research engineer who currently serves as a volunteer STEM instructor at Piqua Catholic School. He married for the first and only time just five years ago to his wife who brought him back to his hometown, where most people know him as the husband of Christy Hayes, and the stepfather to her two girls.
Janie Branson is a real estate agent with Keller Williams Home Town Realty, as well as a Senior Auditor at Abbott Nutrition. She is the mother of three, with an 18-year-old son, a 20-year-old daughter, and 23-year-old daughter.
Ron Pearson is currently the IT manager at Hartzell Industries in Piqua. He built his home with his life partner, Janie, mother of three. There, they live with their two cats.
Juli Smith works at The Community Foundation of Shelby County as the scholarship and grants administrator. She and her husband Doug have two sons, Joshua, who lives in Columbus, and Ian, who lives in Cincinnati.
Doug Smith is a sales engineer at the French Oil Mill Machinery Company. He and his wife, Juli, have been together for 34 years, being married for 28 of those years. He states, “Our dogs, Gus and Chewie, don’t keep us as busy as our boys, but they do keep us active.”
Tina Rudy serves as the assistant director of Alexander Davis Child Care at the Miami County YMCA. She has been married for 26 years, and has one son and cat.
Daniel Rudy works at Lowe’s in Troy, as a part of the stocking crew. He is the son of Bruce and Tina Rudy, and has a cat named Snowball.
Craig Smith is a retired minister of 38 years, who is now the president of The Exit 7 Group LLC, as well as an active health coach and lifestyle transformation coach. He has been married 51 years to his wife, Victoria Sayers Smith. Together they have four daughters, 19 grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and one Pooton puppy named Bently.
Tanya Stewart is currently the regional manager at Winans Chocolates & Coffee. She has four children: Lily, 21; Elijah, 19; Chloe, 18; and Jade, 9.
Amanda Hayward is the editor at Cincinnati Family Magazine. She is a mom of three kids, as well as one doggy on earth, and one doggy in heaven.
Kristie Dankworth works for Piqua City Schools at Springcreek Elementary, where she is a second- and third-grade intervention specialist. She is married to Chris Dankworth, and has a son, Kade, who is a freshman at Piqua High School.
Tickets for both the matinee and dinner performances will be on sale starting Monday, July 12, at Readmore’s Hallmark in Piqua. Tickets for the dessert matinee are $10 each and tickets for the dinner performance are $30 each. The dessert matinee will take place on Saturday, Aug. 28, at Romer’s Piqua, and will begin at 1 p.m., with doors opening at 12:15 p.m. The dinner will take place on Aug. 28 at Romer’s A Learning Place in Piqua. The doors open at 6 p.m., the dinner will be at 7 p.m., and the show will take place at 8 p.m.
To support this year’s dancers, visit www.PiquaArtsCouncil.org/dancing-with-the-stars, or watch for their individual fundraiser opportunities. The full bios for each individual dancer can also be found on the Piqua Arts Council’s webpage.
This year’s sponsor, Hartzell Propeller, helped the Piqua Arts Council underwrite the expenses for the competition. For more information on how to vote, contact the Piqua Arts Council at 937-773-9630.
