Familiar face turned out to be famous

BY BETSIE FREEMAN
OMAHA WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Traveling for work has perks beyond subsidized meals and the occasional luxury hotel room. You just might run into someone famous at the airport.

Alesia Montgomery, a trainer for Girls and Boys Town, was in Nashville, Tenn., with a colleague recently when they spotted a tiny, red-haired woman who looked familiar. She had a young boy in tow and was carrying a bike helmet.

"That looks just like Reba McEntire," Montgomery's colleague said as they passed the woman in the corridor.

Montgomery backtracked and followed her into a bookstore.

"Are you . . . ?" Turns out it was. McEntire, star of the Grand Ole Opry, Broadway and a WB TV sitcom, was most gracious, signing autographs and visiting with the Omahans.

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Reba brings house down with a heart

By Steve Morse
Metro Editor

Reba McEntire opened her show Saturday night with a short video about Habitat for Humanity, talking about how a simple key becomes precious metal for someone who's never owned a home.

"That's why Habitat for Humanity is so close to my heart," she said in the video.

Then she brought the house down.

Or so it seemed, as she sang, sauntered and strutted her way through a 90-minute performance before a near-capacity crowd at the Jackson County Fair.

Only a few hundred seats remained empty on the fringes of the track seating in front of the grandstand, apparently falling just short of equaling the record sellout crowd of 8,000 she drew to the fair in 2000.

Many in the crowd obviously remembered that performance.

There were handmade signs galore welcoming McEntire back to Jackson. And those who came weren't disappointed.

Many screamed with delight and rose to their feet after some of her more popular songs, including her rousing encore of "Fancy" to close the show.

She got things started with "We're So Good Together," then followed it up with the her signature song, "Whoever's in New England."

Other highlights of the 20-song set were "The Greatest Man I Never Knew," a tribute to her father; "Somebody," her latest hit; and "I'm a Survivor," the theme song of her television show that recognizes the struggles of single motherhood.

Another high point was "Does He Love You?" a rousing rendition of her hit duet with Linda Davis, who's on tour with McEntire.

While the crowd's applause and cheers were almost deafening, some of the most heartfelt moments happened before the show with a group of 10 from the Greater Jackson Habitat for Humanity, which builds houses for people who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford home ownership.

The group -- made up of board members and some recent recipients of Habitat homes -- attended the concert courtesy of Whirlpool, the sponsor of McEntire's summer concert tour.

They were among about 30 people who got autographs and photographs taken with the diminutive redhead backstage before the show.

"I love Reba," said Marie Fisher, 35, of Jackson who put in hundreds of hours of "sweat equity" and received a Habitat home about three years ago. "My son loves her, too."

She couldn't afford for her son to come, but it was the first concert she's ever attended.

"I have Habitat to thank for a lot of things," she said. "This just adds to it."

Pat Franz of Jackson, whose new home on Sweet Street is being built now, proudly displayed a Reba autograph on her T-shirt.

Then there was Karen Hyatt, 31, of Jackson, who moved into her Habitat house about a month ago. She wanted to ask Reba about joining her on stage for a duet.

"I've been dreaming of this day since I was 14," she said. "I've been singing her stuff since I was 14."

Hyatt didn't get to join her heroine on stage, but was happy nonetheless to meet the country star.

As was Habitat board member Jerry Adams, a builder who chairs the organization's special events committee.

"I just like what Reba stands for," he said, referring to the country star's support of the humanitarian organization.

Others who got to meet McEntire did so thanks to country radio stations.

Ken and Julie Reinhart of Findlay, Ohio, got concert tickets and backstage passes when Ken, a truck driver, called WQTE of Adrian and had the winning bid of $260 for the benefit of the American Cancer Society.

Then there was Cindy Perry of DeWitt and Carol Maize of Laingsburg, both north of Lansing.

They bought their concert tickets and showed up with bright red T-shirts they had received earlier this summer from WITL-100.7 FM.

"We've been wearing them every concert this summer," said Perry, noting they're in a group of four who attend country concerts together. "They finally picked us for the backstage passes."

Maize felt particularly lucky.

"It's already been a great day," she said.

"I went on a golf outing this morning and my team won. And now this."

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