Country gospel singer Susie McEntire – sister of country music artist Reba McEntire – performed her last concert of 2014 at Lakeview Middle School Friday night before a near-capacity crowd. The benefit for Toys for Tots collected six boxes of toys for local underprivileged children, in addition to the approximately 8,500 toys that had already been collected. The toys will be delivered Saturday morning. During a preshow interview, McEntire’s husband, Mark Eaton, said McEntire performed six other Christmas shows since Thanksgiving before coming to Warsaw. He said Friday’s set list included mostly Christmas songs, with a few country numbers in there. If there was time, he was to join McEntire to sing “Silent Night” in German. “You will connect with Susie’s spirit,” Eaton said of the show. “She has the ability to connect with a live audience.” A choir from Warsaw Christian School also joined her for two numbers. “The kids can say they sang with Susie McEntire, a living legend,” Eaton said. In her preshow interview, McEntire said she was glad to be in Warsaw. She performed at the Kosciusko County Fair a few years ago and enjoyed the experience. “I love this town,” she said. Mike Loher brought her to Kosciusko County for the fair performance and Friday’s Toys for Tots benefit concert. During her performance Friday, she thanked him for making it happen. Singing with the school choir was a huge experience, McEntire said during the preshow interview. She rehearsed with the students Thursday at the school. Before the Warsaw concert, McEntire said she had traveled to Mississippi, Las Vegas, Iowa and then to Indiana. After the show, she said she was ready to settle in and enjoy the holiday. She realized Friday she was a few gifts short, but would take care of that. Helping others through organizations like Toys for Tots is important to McEntire. “To me it’s Christmas every day when we get to put a smile on kids’ faces, or adults. Lots of older people go without. Those of us who have the ability should give to those who go without,” McEntire said. Once the holidays are over, she’ll be back on the road, traveling to Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, South Carolina, Florida and more. In Florida, McEntire said she hopes to record another live album, as fans seemed to enjoy the first live one. “It does have mistakes, but people say they like that. It’s not real polished. People enjoy it being real,” she said.
