By Sheila Buckmaster
Get ready for a gleeful look at Talbot Interfaith Shelter’s 10th Annual Lip Sync Battle. But first, let’s set the stage with Webster’s definition of lip syncing: “to pretend to sing at precisely the same time with recorded sound.” As an example, the dictionary offers “She lip synced the song that was playing on the radio.” But here’s a much better example: Every song that’s part of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is not live—but rather lip synced. Think about it: Do you ever see any musical groups backing up the many singers?
Okay, let’s look at the TIS Lip Sync extravaganza, which may just be the Eastern Shore’s most unique event. In fact, the production goes way beyond the audio (this is no mere karaoke) to encompass often zany visual components. Oh the costumes! And of course there’s sometimes silly choreography!
In the words of Jayme (jay-me) Dingler, the originator and decade-long producer of the hotly anticipated event: “We started the Lip Sync Battle to present something different, to help TIS stand out in a sea of worthy causes.” She goes on: “It is a great fundraiser in that it involves so many people in the community.” Indeed, people of all ages – friends, coworkers, neighbors, and even members of local law-enforcement dive into the beloved event. Participants get to exercise their inner child, proving that the youngster in us all never really goes away.
Viewers and audience members support the TIS mission by voting for their favorite teams with their dollars – donations, ticket purchases, orders for cool TIS “merch,” and sponsorships all count towards the team totals. More good news: Many of the individuals who come to the TIS fandango via the wide-ranging event become long-time supporters of TIS.
In 2017, Jayme was a member of the TIS Board of Directors. The organization was growing rapidly and needed to find ways to bring in more funding. At that time, Jimmy Fallon was doing lip sync battles with the guests on his Late Night talk show. Jayme recognized the potential of lip sync to capture people’s attention. She was smitten with the idea and was able to bring on the rest of the Board. “They told me to ‘go for it.’ And so she got busy. The first year, “we raised $10,000”—enough to make everyone giddy.
By year two, Jayme had stepped into the role of TIS’ Director of Development. In that year, a video component was added, “for people who wanted perform but didn’t want to get up on stage,” Jayme offers. This component became more important than anyone realized; when the pandemic shut things down, the Lip Sync Battle transitioned to a video-only format, continuing to raise money for TIS and spread joy when it was needed most. In 2021, the event was held as a live stream, telethon-style show, and hundreds of community members tuned in and donated.
When Laura Richeson, TIS’ current Director of Development and Marketing, came on board in 2023, the ladies teamed up (with much help from event planners Katie Parks Events) and Lip Sync truly began to take off. This year, the Lip Sync Battle’s fundraising goal is $150,000. Last year, TIS received just over $125,000. Yes, these are great big numbers, but they are also a testament to how much the community has embraced, not only this event, but TIS and the families and individuals we serve.
This year—2026—there are 22 teams taking part. 7 will be competing live and the remaining 15 are participating in the Video Competition. During the live performance viewers in attendance as well as those watching the livestream can vote/donate up to the very end of the show.
So, let the games begin, with the live Lip Sync Battle slated for April 18th at the Talbot County Community Center. But, wait a second. The games already are underway, with performances by all 22 teams streamed on the event website. To see for yourself—and vote for your favorites—head to talbotinterfaithshelter.org/lsb. Fair warning: Be prepared to have your socks knocked off as you witness numbers that range from St. Peter and Paul’s performance of “Oh Happy Day” to song medleys from Easton Utilities and the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office, and everything in between. As Jayme explains, “I love seeing people stepping out of their comfort zones and tapping into their silly sides to help spread joy and support their neighbors in need.”
Brains-behind-the-event Jayme now puts her expertise to work in various ways. She owns a nonprofit consulting company called What’s Good, LLC, providing marketing and fundraising assistance for many local organizations. The author of The Itty Bitty Book of Nonprofit Fundraising — Tips from a Development Director who hates asking people for money, she offers webinars and in-person trainings based on the content of her book. Jayme also hosts a weekly radio segment on Radio Chesapeake called What’s Good Wednesday that spotlights good news from the Mid-Shore nonprofit community.
The Lip Sync Battle strives to reach its fundraising goal via votes for teams ($1 equals one vote) and local civic, business, clubs, and even other nonprofits that serve as generous sponsors of the event, thus benefitting TIS and its mission: to provide Shelter, Stability, Support, and a path to Success for local families and individuals in need. At the end of the event, the biggest fundraisers in both the Live and Video categories will be revealed.
Teams can also win the Best Video or Best Live Performance awards, which are decided by a panel of three judges. The judges watch the videos and performances and score each one based on criteria such as creativity and audience engagement. The scores are collected and tabulated to determine the winners.
To sum things up—and further entice you to buy tickets—Jayme underscores that “the energy in the room the night of the live event is like nothing else you will feel all year. It’s a great cross-section of our community all coming together to laugh, sing, and dance. It’s just pure happiness and magic.”
If this story has inspired you to learn more (and how could it not!), please head to our website to be part of the exuberance while helping a very important cause. Again, it is talbotinterfaithshelter.org/lsb.
We guarantee that by becoming part of the Lip Sync Battle, you will feel heartwarming pride—and take pleasure in becoming a vital part of a growing community. Once more TIS deserves your support—while you get to enjoy a memories-rich celebration!
Learn more about supporting TIS HERE
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