Laditude Lures Fur Ball Guests To Dance Floor
By Mike Shands or the Mountain Times

High Country residents can dance the night away while helping their furry friends this month.

The Watauga Humane Society will hold its Sixth Annual Fur Ball Saturday, Aug. 9, featuring dancing to the live music of popular local group Laditude.

The Broyhill Inn and Conference Center will host the Fur Ball, an extravaganza that also features dinner and a silent auction. The event is traditionally the humane society’s second-largest fundraiser of the year.

Helping the humane society comes naturally for Laditude’s lead vocalist, Amy Laderoute, who does some volunteer work for the society.

“It’s so close to my heart because I’m a dog lover,” Laderoute said. “I have a deep love for animals. I try to do what I can.”

Laderoute, who used to work at a local animal clinic, has served on the Fur Ball Committee and collected donations for the event’s silent auction.

The group’s members have been performing together since about 1994, including the last four or five years as Laditude. The band plays a wide variety of tunes including soft jazz, rock and roll, Top 40, Motown, country, beach music and funk.

“We’ll be playing something for everyone, young and old,” Laderoute said. “We hope we get all ages there. We’re trying to make it fun.

“We’ll be playing all kinds of music from jazz to swing to rock with a little disco. We’ll go from ‘Brick House’ to ‘Route 66’ to ‘Unforgettable’ to ‘Lady Marmalade.’ ”

Members of the band, who bring more than 70 years of collective stage experience to the performance, include Ken Laderoute on guitar, vocals harmonica and flute; Amy Laderoute as lead vocalist and on keyboards; Wes Powers on drums; Klee Liles on bass and vocals; and Tom Shirah on keyboards, trumpet and flute.

The Laderoutes have played music all their lives. During an 18-year career together as professional entertainers they have performed in major cities across Canada and the United States, touring with musical groups ranging from rock bands to Las Vegas style show-groups.

They have recorded three albums and several singles, two of which hit the Top 40 charts in Canada. The albums include “The Great Rufus Road Machine,” “Oui” and their latest, “Here,” which is available from the Laderoutes.

Ken Laderoute’s newest project is a series of CDs of affirmations set to world beat percussive rhythms.

“It’s to help change the negative internal dialogue within our minds,” he said. “It’s marketed toward counselors, healing professionals and therapists.

“They will be melodic, with Amy singing, and improvisational. They will help reprogram negative images and dialogue.”

Liles, a graduate of East Carolina University, has been entertaining audiences for more than 15 years both as a solo artist and as a bassist with various groups.

Another East Carolina graduate, Powers began playing drums when he was 12. His interests in percussion also include marching percussion, hand drumming and mallet studies. Powers has performed throughout the Southeast and also teaches privately and in Burke County public schools.

Shirah is the group’s newest member.

Fur Ball Schedule
Fur Ball festivities kick off at 6 p.m. Aug. 9 with a silent auction that closes at 9:30 p.m. There will also be a cocktail hour from 6 to 7 p.m., followed by dinner from 7 to 8 p.m. and dancing from 8 to midnight.

This year’s silent auction will feature more than 200 items donated by local merchants. Also back by popular demand will be Art in the Bark, featuring local and state arts and crafts for auction.

Tickets for the Fur Ball are limited and cost $75 each ($45 of the ticket price is tax deductible). Anyone interested in purchasing a ticket should contact Jan Watson at (828) 264-1743. Those who can’t attend but would like to serve as a Patron of the Fur Ball can make a monetary donation by contacting Watson.