Many things will be different at this year’s American Cancer Society’s Barons’ Ball. 

The ball has moved to the Wyndham Peachtree Conference Center in Peachtree City.  Due to the fancier digs, there will be a paved parking lot, there will be beautiful bathrooms available and there won’t be hay all over the floor. There’s a new chairperson of the event, American Cancer Society volunteer and former Barons’ Ball sponsorship chairperson Susan Osborne. 

Some things about the Barons’ Ball, however, are just too good to toy with. There will still be a mechanical bull to ride. There will still be lots of good food and drinks to share. There will be an awesome silent and live auction to bid on and there will be plenty of games of chance. But best of all, the band has not changed. For the third year in a row, the music for the Barons’ Ball will be provided by the Michael Stacey Band (MSB). 

The Michael Stacey Band is a six member band led by lead vocalist and guitar player, Michael Stacey. Michael is a native of the small southern town of Hahira, Georgia. The other band members hail from Kentucky, Florida, Hawaii, and Washington D.C.  While the band is loyal to their country roots, the band is also versatile enough to cover standards from an array of performers, from traditional country artists such as George Jones and Alan Jackson, to popular rock, folk, and Motown acts of the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. The Barons' Ball crowd last year was on its' feet hoofin' and scootin' each time the band took the stage. In the annual after event patron survey, the Michael Stacey Band always receives only favorable comments from those who attended the event. 

The Michael Stacey Band is a very busy group, this year they anticipate that they will travel 80,000 miles while touring the southern states. The group will take a break from their touring schedule to perform for the 2006 Barons' Ball. Raising money for cancer patient care, research and development and finding a cure for cancer is a cause very near and dear to lead singer Michael Stacey's heart. Stacey lost his mother to breast cancer a couple of years ago. The entire band dedicates their annual return performance to the memory of Stacey's mom.

The fourth annual American Cancer Society - Fayette County Barons' Ball will be held on Saturday, November 4, 2006. The first three Barons' Balls have raised over $460,000 for local programs of the American Cancer Society, which are made available to the community free of charge, as well as funding research and development. The western themed event sells out to 500 patrons each year. If you would like to receive an invitation to the ball, donate an auction item, or receive a sponsorship package, please contact Nychelle Williams, senior community manager of the American Cancer Society, Fayette County at 770-460-8920.

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