'Harlem Ambassadors' to brighten January

By Ed Simmons, Jr.

             Who says January is a cold, dreary month?  ...Chilly, damp, cloudy, drizzly, and frigid, with freezing rain icing the power lines and a nine-foot blizzard always possible.

             But when you live in Caroline County, frosty January is actually a cheery, merry-making month.    Folks here are real handy at figuring out fun things to do.    For example, we can spend January looking forward to jumping into freezing water for "The Polar Bear Plunge" – on Saturday, February 2, at 10 a.m. – when heroic county residents plunge into icy Lake Caroline to raise money to help Caroline needy pay heating bills and keep toasty.   And all through January, the plungers will enjoy practicing for the event taking 20-minute cold showers.

             Also in January, Caroline County residents will get all stirred up with all the commotion of the "2008 Relay for Life Kick-off."  What could be more fun than joining with old friends and meeting new ones while figuring out clever ways to raise money to end cancer?  That's on Thursday, January 10, at 6 p.m.  At the Bowling Green Town Hall.

             And now, Darlene Keener of Caroline's Promise has figured out another great way to make icy January a frolicsome month.  Keener, Executive Director of Caroline's Promise, has recruited an intrepid team of courageous Caroline super-athletes to compete on the Caroline High School basketball court against the world-famous "Harlem Ambassadors."  Kings-of-the-hoops known for their skillful gags, the Harlem Ambassadors travel the country in their bus that runs on vegetable oil because they are promoting "green alternatives."  They also encourage the young to stay in school, keep off drugs and live the good life.  The Ambassadors, of course, are invincible.  Nobody wins against them.

             But all this will change January 12, at 7 p.m. in the Caroline High School gym, when the Ambassadors face-off against the Olympic-quality, and even funnier, Caroline team.  The Caroline team, as Darlene Keener has devised it, is called "The Promise Players."  Not only has each team member volunteered to combust their last calorie trouncing the Harlem Ambassadors, they have each raised $200 or more from sponsors to benefit Caroline youth.

             "The purpose of this event is two-fold," said Keener.  "Caroline's Promise strives to create safe, positive environments for the families of Caroline to enjoy together.  ...This event is also a major fundraiser to enable Caroline's Promise to continue its efforts to fulfill the physical, spiritual and emotional needs of the youth of Caroline."  Caroline business sponsors have volunteered – nobly – to pay the Harlem Ambassadors' $5,000 fee.  Ticket sales will then be a free-and-clear profit to fund the good deeds of Caroline's Promise. 

             Purchased in advance, tickets are $6 for students and $8 for adults, available at The Caroline Progress, the Department of Social Services, Caroline's Promise and Union Bank in Bowling Green.  Purchased at the door, the tickets are $8 and $10.

             One of the first Caroline residents to volunteer to joust and cavort with the Harlem Ambassadors was Rev. Duane Fields, pastor of Oxford Mount Zion Baptist and founder of Unity of Zion Lions which is bringing a youth center to Dawn.  Another volunteer is the mayor of Bowling Green, David Storke, an expert at beaming a friendly grin while dribbling with dizzying speed and watching his shots swish through the net.  Other volunteers include Jeff Sili, supervisor-elect, who will be stunning the standing-room-only audience with his high-flying leaps and dazzling skill.  Then there's the towering Donnell Howard, director of Parks and Recreation, who will undoubtedly be a lofty powerhouse.  Backing him will be Parks and Recreation coach "Big" Rick Beale. Also now perfecting their center-court, lofting jumping shots are Salem Baptist youth leaders Todd Beasley, Patrick Greene, and T.J. Loving.  And from the Sheriff's Office there's Deputy Honeycutt and Deputy Chris Hall, both speedy individuals of extraordinary basketball skill.  Sheriff Toni Lippa will also be pacing the court as referee, unless called away to referee a college game.  No doubt, January 12 will see a sporting event of delirious drama.

             The Harlem Ambassadors feature a lady professional – beautiful, log-legged and long-armed, and called "Lade Magic" – who by herself has defeated one tangle-up and perplexed team after another.

             But the Promise Players have their own female, secret weapons in school teacher Joni Rollins and college student Jessica Beale.  Joni Rollins now headlines the event with her newly-given nickname "Lady Promise."  And so the game may well turn into a duel between two gladiators of the court – "Lady Promise vs. "Lade Magic."

             The 10-member Harlem Ambassador squad includes the whizzing stars Jazz Copeland, T'Neisha Turner, Angel Branch, LaRon Bradley, Kerrie James, Amonzo Gantt, Andy Chelcher and Marcus Alexander.  The Harlem Ambassadors also have a lucky and lovable mascot – "Kagnee" (pronounced like "Cagney") – a Boston Terrier big in attitude.

             Our very own local spectacular hoopsters will without a doubt face a supreme challenge January 12 when they take on the professional gagsters known as the Harlem Ambassadors.  And of course, losing to the Ambassadors is unthinkable. 

But if the unthinkable does occur, spectators are sure to take home a wealth of laughter sufficient to brighten up and warm the remaining 19 days of chilly January.