More 400 people attended the fourth annual Dancing with Our Stars, raising $11,000 for the local fire department Friday night at Celebrations in Pell City.

Between the dance competition, donations, ticket sales, t-shirts, silent auction, refreshments and event video preorders—the fundraiser made $1,000 more than its original goal.

Sponsored by the Pell City Line Dancers, 395 chairs were set up for the event, which was emceed by radio personality Jeremy Gossett from 94.1 The River and deejayed by Jamison Taylor of Jamison Taylor’s School of Music.

Local celebrities, consisting primarily of prominent business and community members, were partnered with skilled dance instructors to learn and perform routines for the competition. Dancers competed for first, second, third and “People’s Choice” in either the couples or group category.

Performer Feenix Fyre gave stunning pre-show and intermission fire dancing exhibitions—once briefly setting off the fire alarm to the amusement of the audience. “That must be why (the Pell City Line Dancers) wanted to benefit the fire department this year,” laughed Gossett, “so they’d be here just in case.”

While past beneficiaries have been Children’s Hospital of Alabama and St. Clair Relay for Life, according to event coordinator Doris Munkus of the Pell City Line Dancers, they were looking to do something local this year.

“My son in law is actually a fireman,” Munkus said. “Before that I didn’t really know much about it, but there was a need there.”

The judges of the competition—Brad White, Debi Stubbs, Chad Allinder, Jackie Tally, Richard Knight and Susan Graham—awarded first place in couples to instructor Stephonn Ammons and dancer Maliha Alyzyat for their gravity-defying performance to “Classic” by MKTO.

First place in groups went to instructor Nicole Anderson-Walters and “Special Ops,” featuring Abby Davis, Amy Strickland, Craig Tumlin, Scotty Walters and Suzanne Davis. The charismatic group then became overall winner by receiving the People’s Choice Award after collecting the most donations ($486) from the crowd during intermission.

Of the $11,000 raised that evening, every cent is going to the Pell City Fire Department, which will be funding much-needed training programs for firefighter candidates.

“It went great. Everyone put in a lot of hard work, so I’m very happy with the result. And I know it’s going to be used for a good cause,” Munkus said, after the event. “I think about once a year is all I can handle though, and probably everybody else, too, because now we have to put up all the chairs.”