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4/3/2006
SHELTON PLANS RAINDANCE FOR FIRE-RAVAGED OKLAHOMA

Country star BLAKE SHELTON has set up a calf-roping and archery contest in a bid to raise cash for the victims of the Oklahoma wildfires. The singer/songwriter will also perform at the three-day event, Raindance, which will be held in his hometown of Ada, Oklahoma next month (14-16MAY06). Shelton says, "It saddens me to know that people in my home state are suffering such devastating loss. It's hard to believe that the place where I grew up has been declared a federal disaster area. "Purchasing insurance for livestock and farmland is not always an option, and, if it is, it's usually an expensive one. "I have the ability to reach a lot of people with my music. By putting this event together and inviting some of my artist friends to help out, I hope to raise money and awareness to help the citizens of Oklahoma get back on their feet again." The state of Oklahoma has been in a state of emergency drought for several months, and estimations are that the state is currently drier than it was back in the Dustbowl days of the 1950s and 1960s. Since November (05), an estimated 2,700 fires have consumed more than 555,000 acres of farmland and forest, killing livestock in their wake.