DOUG STONE TO PERFORM HERE FOR BOOSTER CLUB

Country singing star Doug Stone will appear at the Cape Girardeau Central High School Tiger Field House Feb. 26, a fund-raiser for the school's Booster Club.

Tickets go on sale this morning at 8 a.m. at six outlets.

Jeff Daniel, chairman of the event, said 4,700 seats are available in the gymnasium, including 1,200 on the floor.

Tickets cost $12 and $14 for bleacher seats and $16 for riser and floor seats. In addition, $50 VIP tickets are available. The VIP tickets include preferred parking, a reception and dinner with the entertainers and seats in the first rows.

The concert will begin at 8 p.m. and is scheduled to last about two hours.

"The booster club wanted a program to provide total family entertainment and reflect a positive attitude," Daniel said.

Stone meets those criteria, he said. The country singer has had seven number one hits and every single he has released has reached at least number four on the charts.

"He is regarded as one of the stars of tomorrow," Daniel said.

Among Stone's hits are "I Never Knew Love," "Fourteen Minutes Old," "In a Different Light," "Why Didn't I Think of That," "A Jukebox With a Country Song," "I'd Be Better Off (In A Pine Box)," "These Lips Don't Know How To Say Goodbye," and "I Thought It Was You."

"This is a real coup for the Booster Club to bring an entertainer like Doug Stone to Cape Girardeau," Daniel said.

Appearing with Stone is comedian Jack Wilks.

Wilks has performed at clubs across the country including the Improv in Los Angeles and three theaters in Branson, Mo. He has also appeared on "Evening at the Improv" and "Comedy on the Road" on the Arts & Entertainment network.

"When our promoter said a comedian, I said `Whoa, what kind of comedian,'" Daniel said. "He has a real family appeal."

The event was announced Friday afternoon in the newly remodeled and newly named Tiger Field House. Daniel said a work crew of booster club members finished numbering bleachers Thursday night.

Booster Club President Jim Stovall explained that the club's purpose is to provide "extras" for the school.

"For example, we purchased a new mascot uniform for the tiger here," Stovall said.

The concert is the first large-scale event the club has sponsored. In the past, boosters have sponsored a golf tournament, but most money is generated through dues.

All the proceeds from the concert, like all the money raised by the club, will be funneled back into school activities, Stovall said. Both athletic and academic programs receive money from the club.

Daniel said, "We hope the total community will be involved."

Tickets are being sold at AmeriFirst Banks in Cape Girardeau and Sikeston, Bi-State Southern in Cape Girardeau, Cape Regional Credit Union, DuShell Furniture and Howard's Sporting Goods.