Saturday is fast approaching for the six pairs who are competing in the second annual Dancing for The Thread competition and fundraiser.

“We are so excited and hope people will continue to vote and donate to the dancers,” said Natalie Hale, executive director of Friends of The Thread Trail. 

Some of the competing teams have been working on their routines for months and are ready to show off their skills Aug. 3, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Del’avant Event Center.  

“They are all taking it very seriously,” Hale said. “Some of them started practicing months ago and some have been practicing daily.” 

Dancing for The Thread is the largest fundraiser of the year for Friends of The Thread, which is an organization that focuses on community relations, segment planning, contractor selection/management and maintenance of The Thread. 

The goal for the event is to reach $70,000 in donations. As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, FOTT has reached 71 percent of the goal and is sitting at $49,380.93. 

“Last year, we raised a lot of money the night of the event, and we are optimistic we will reach our goal this year,” Hale said. 

Hale said you can notice distinct differences in how the competitive spirit and the online presence has changed going into this year’s event.  

“The top five teams are shown on the leaderboard and how much they have raised,” Hale said. “It has been more competitive because dancers are able to check live updates and send out emails to their friends. Plus, the website looks more professional and everything looks really nice.”

FOTT rolled out with the new, live online program this year that allows viewers to check the status of where the fundraising goal is at.

While all 350 tickets for the event have been sold, those who were unable to purchase a ticket will still be able to enjoy the show via Facebook Live, LGTV and at a select tent during Sweetland Amphitheatre’s concert. 

“We are excited and looking forward to a fun night and the dancers have worked hard this night,” Hale said. 

Voting will end shortly after the last group goes. Hale said that the donation portion is a large percentage of the competitors scores, but the dances are averaged with it to get a final score. 

The Thread, has a total of 29 miles of trails planned in LaGrange. 

Dancing teams are Allison and Bo Bradford, Brooke King and Shane Frailey, Debbie Bordona and Tommy Britt, Debra Black and Alton West, Raquel Gibbs and Sandy Rockwell and Stacy Hardigree and Craig DeLoach. 

To vote for your favorite team visitThethreadtrail.salsalabs.org/gala2019