DAVIDSON WILL RETURN AS HOST FOR CEREBRAL PALSY TELETHON

SIKESTON -- Doug Davidson will return to Sikeston for a three-day stay next month.

Davidson, who plays Detective Paul Williams on the CBS network daytime show, "The Young and the Restless," will serve as emcee for the 1991 Kenny Rogers Cerebral Palsy Telethon to be held at the Sikeston Inn here Feb. 15-17.

Davidson, a marine biology major at Occidental College, is involved with many youth projects. He has worked as a youth director and counselor as well as camp director for the YMCA at Catalina Island, Calif. He and his wife, Cindy, have a one-year-old daughter, Calyssa Rae Davidson.

Sharing the stage with Davidson will be Robin Lee, a Nashville recording artist with Atlantic Records. Lee has opened concerts for Randy Travis, Willie Nelson, and the Kentucky Headhunters. She has appeared on several Nashville shows and was nominated for the Academy of Country Music New Female Vocalist Award in 1988.

Mike Jensen and Tom Nunnelee, co-chairmen of the telethon, recently announced the entertainment lineup for the 11th annual event, which will be televised live on the Falcon Cablevision Systems, which serve Sikeston, Charleston, East Prairie, and New Madrid. Several other cable systems swill carry the telecast by tape delay in Cape Girardeau, Stoddard, Scott, Butler, Pemiscot, Dunklin and New Madrid counties.

The goal for the 1991 telethon is $120,000.

Davidson was host emcee for the 1990 telethon, and will work with local area host emcee, Steve McPheeters, along with other area television and radio personalities.

"Our headliners, Davidson and Lee, along with other participants will add up to another exciting telethon," said Nunnelee. "We will have lots of local and regional talent on the show, including the Gary Jones Band, the same house band we had last year."

A wide variety of music, including country, gospel, pop and rock, will be auditioned and selected for participation at the telethon.

Lee and her band will perform at the sponsor reception, dinner, and dance to be held Feb. 15 at the Sikeston Eagles Lodge. Also performing at the sponsor dance will be a Nashville band which includes David Lowe and Jerry Lasater, originally from Sikeston.

Sponsor tickets are now on sale, for $100 per couple.

The telethon will air from 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 15 until midnight. It will return to the air at 8 a.m. Sunday and continue until 4 p.m.

Kenny Rogers will provide several of his music videos for the telethon.