PIQUA — Piqua Arts Council’s celebrity Dancing with the Piqua Stars fundraiser is not going anywhere anytime soon. This April, the program returns for the 12th consecutive year.

Featuring six couples from the Piqua community, the 2023 Dancing with the Piqua Stars expects to bring a full house to Romer’s on April 22 for a dessert matinee at 1 p.m. and the dinner performance at 7 p.m. PAC is honored to welcome Hartzell Propeller as the event’s celebrity sponsor.

Dancers have already begun the race to the top as they host various fundraisers in support of their team, bringing in votes and donations from friends, family and community members. This year’s participants include Ryan and Kate Tremblay, Nathan and Lindsey Penrod, David Novotny and Lea Tyler, Krissy O’Malley and Lindsay Schultz, Dylan Schenck and Mackenzie Mikel, and Adam Sherlock anda Brittney Tyler. The competitiveness of this cast runs extremely high, making for nothing short of another exciting year.

Ryan Tremblay and his wife, Kate, reside in Piqua with their daughter, Karigan. The Tremblays are licensed foster parents through Isaiah’s Place in Troy. Ryan currently serves as a science instructor at the Upper Valley Career Center, with 12-plus years of teaching experience. Kate is a part of the Park National Bank team in Piqua as the Raymond James Financial Advisor. The couple is happy to have an opportunity to support the Piqua community, inspire others through art and expose the community to different art forms.

High School sweethearts, Nathan and Lindsey Penrod, have 3 children: Aiden, Evan and Halle. Nathan, a 1999 graduate of Piqua High School, serves as a Police Officer for the city of Fairborn. With 16 years of instruction under her belt, Lindsey currently teaches second-grade at Washington Primary School in Piqua. The two are highly involved in their kids’ sporting events, cheering them on in every adventure. Lindsey expresses that PAC has directly impacted her second-grade students through their creative classrooms program which brings the professional performing arts to Piqua-area schools, so they’re extremely excited to give back.

David Novotny is dancing with his girlfriend and partner, Lea Tyler, a mother of a wonderful teenage daughter. Novotny is a Piqua graduate of 2002 who currently serves as the E-commerce and marketing director for the Dave Arbogast Group in Troy. Tyler is the clinical lead for WellNow Urgent Care, the new care facility in Piqua. This year’s event consists of not one, but two Tylers, for a sister-rivalry that adds yet another level of competitiveness.

Krissy O’Malley and her friend of many years, Lindsay Schultz, were more than happy to accept the challenge of Dancing with the Piqua Stars, and are excited to support PAC as they share a passion in the arts. O’Malley married two years ago. After holding many jobs as an artist, she started her own company in 2022, Senior Music Connection, with a mission to provide quality musical experiences to older adults. Schultz is a registered dietitian who is very close with her small family. After working in the hospital setting for many years, she currently serves as a full-time professor at Sinclair Community College.

Dylan Schenck and Mackenzie Mikel, partners in life and competition, both work at Park National Bank, with Schenck serving as a customer service representative in downtown Piqua and Mikel serving as branch manager of their Tipp City location. There, the two reside together with their plethora of pets. The couple are excited for this fun opportunity to learn how to dance, all while giving back to the community that Schenck works in.

Adam Sherlock and the other half of the Tyler sisters, Brittney, both represent Hemm’s Glass in this year’s competition. Sidney-native, Sherlock, has worked with several small businesses and firms before landing at Hemm’s Glass as a Shop Coordinator, where he met his dance partner and friend, Brittney, a project manager assistant. The single mother of two, Connor and Kennedy, has two cats named Nightmare and Hennessy. Despite their busy schedules, the two are grateful that they are able participate this year, as it has given them yet another exciting way to give back to their community.

This year’s cast is practicing under the expert instruction of Rick and Judy Bowerman, Liz Maxson, Tammy Bellamy Chaney and Leslie Howell. To support your dancer(s) of choice, please visit the PAC webpage and click “Donate Now” under their photos.

Tickets are available for purchase at www.PiquaArtsCouncil.org/dancing, and expected to sell quickly.

Matinee tickets are $15 each and Dinner tickets are $40 each. Tickets will be mailed to you following your purchase. For additional information about 2023 Dancing with the Piqua Stars including full dancer bios, the event schedule and last year’s performance live-feed, visit their website.