The Villages - September 2016 - 51

Photo courtesy of Jeremy Ryan or through giving back in other ways. Operation Christmas Child I've been doing since I was a kid. After the Newtown, Connecticut, tragedy at Sandy Hook, I had a chance to go up there and talk to some kids and help raise funds for a performing arts center to help kids reach their full potential. We want to do as much as we can. Q. Your fourth album drops later this year. What can your followers expect? a. I'm an old soul when it comes to my musical tastes. It's one of those balances I have to try to accomplish. I try to mesh the old school and new school together. In this next album, we're probably taking one step closer to the traditional side than the new-school side. The cool thing about my music is that my music grows up with me. I put out my first album when I was 17, my second one at 19, my third at 20 and for this one I'll be 23. I'm kind of maturing with my music and my records. - ComPiled by KathRyn deen concert is a Villager's Dream come true Villager Dot Bannar is about as McCreery-crazy as they come. So, when she met with The Sharon's booking coordinator in May 2015, requesting to bring the young country singer to the new performing arts center, she came armed with a CD and a poster. "I drive all over the U.S. going to nice places to see Scotty," Bannar said. "I thought, this is a beautiful venue right in my backyard. I have to get him to come here." Booking Coordinator Elizabeth Constant reassured her that residents' requests are taken seriously. One year and four months later, Bannar's dream is coming true. McCreery will perform Sept. 16 at The Sharon. "I was just thrilled," Bannar said. "It's pretty special." You'll find Bannar in the front row with her husband, Tom, and several friends. "The voice is what grabs your attention the first moment," Bannar said. "And it's the person that he is. He's a really good Christian man." Bannar logs into five McCreery fan club websites daily. She's been to 10 of his shows and has met him almost as many times. "He knows me as Grandma Dot," Bannar said. She even got a shout-out in his 2016 book, "Go Big or Go Home: The Journey Toward the Dream." Her quote describes coping with "post-Idol depression" by joining social media to connect with other fans and to learn more about McCreery. Grandma Dot can hardly wait to reunite backstage with her favorite country music sensation. Bannar meets McCreery in 2013 in South Carolina. MAGAZINE 51

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