The annual fundraiser for the Russellville Middle School Fine Arts Department will take on a knee-slappin’ country theme as students from several different grades tackle classic country music songs.

The Fourth Annual Summer Slam 2012 “Country Folks Can Survive” will be held on Thursday, May 24, at 6:30 p.m. at the RHS Auditorium, and choral director Emily Rush said there will be something for everyone in the community to enjoy.

“This is the kind of classic country music that people both young and old grew up listening to in this area,” Rush said. “I think everyone will be able to sing along to these songs and have a great time.”

Rush said the show will feature songs like “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas,” “Song of the South” and “Red High Heels” by groups such as Alabama and the ever-popular Johnny Cash.

Nearly 100 students will be involved in this year’s production including guest performances from high school and elementary school students. Soloists this year will be Kody Madden and Brooklyn Hall from RHS, Hailey Peters, Konner Bendall, Jessica McSpadden and Blaze Bishop from RMS, and Sydney Holt and Addie Scruggs from RES.

“The money we raise through Summer Slam really helps us get our fine arts department going in the fall because there’s lots of material we have to have in order to run our show choir and drama programs,” Rush said. “In addition to helping us purchase music and scripts and other necessary materials for these unique classes to run smoothly, Summer Slam is also a really fun end of the year event for our kids.

“It’s the last performance for our eighth graders and it’s also a nice welcome for the students who auditioned in April and made show choir and drama for the upcoming school year.

“We have great support from our parents and administration here, and we would love to see the community come out and support us, too. They can enjoy a great show and help support our program here.”

Tickets to this year’s Summer Slam are $5 and can be purchased at the door.