When WJMN anchor Ashley Kirkland landed her final lift at the Historic Vista Theatre on Saturday night, the 1,200 people inside didn't wait for the judges' scores. They were already on their feet, roaring approval for a foxtrot that would seal her victory at the ninth annual Dancing with Our Stars.
The WLUC fundraiser, now a spring tradition in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, pairs local names with professional dancers for an eight-week crash course in ballroom. This year's lineup included a retired Northern Michigan University hockey defenseman, a Marquette bakery owner, a county probate judge, and Kirkland herself—whose day job involves reporting the news, not becoming it.
From Zero to Foxtrot
Kirkland and her partner, Dmitri Volkov of the Marquette Dance Academy, trained four nights a week since late February. Their winning routine, set to a reworked version of Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain," opened with a risky blindfold sequence and closed with a spinning lift that left Kirkland's feet inches from the front-row seats.
"We started with two left feet—mine, mostly," Kirkland said backstage, the Mirror Ball Trophy still smudged with her fingerprints. "Dmitri kept saying, 'Trust the process.' I didn't believe him until about Wednesday."
The judges—former So You Think You Can Dance contestant Melanie Moore, local choreographer David Ruland, and WLUC sports director Mike Ludlum—scored the pair a 29 out of 30. Kirkland won by a single point over runner-up DeShawn Williams, the bakery owner, whose disco routine included a staged tumble into the judges' table that drew the night's biggest laugh.
Standout Moments
The evening delivered more than polished ballroom. Williams's partner, Elena Voss, executed a full split mid-aisle during their "Stayin' Alive" number. Probate Judge Robert Lehmann, the oldest contestant at 61, earned a standing ovation for a military-themed paso doble that ended with him dropping to one knee before his wife of 34 years in the audience.
The crowd also saw a near-mishap: during the opening group number, a feather from a costume drifted into the orchestra pit, prompting a ten-second pause while a musician fished it from his sheet music with a drumstick.
Funds for Families
The event raised $47,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Western Upper Peninsula, enough to cover mentorship matches for approximately 85 children through the 2025-26 school year.
"This isn't just a feel-good night—it's operational funding," said executive director Carla Hendricks, who watched from the balcony. "Every ticket, every raffle ticket, every person who bid on the silent auction is directly matched with a child waiting for a mentor. We currently have 34 kids on our list. This changes that math."
Attendance hit capacity for the first time since 2019, with the balcony reopened after a two-year renovation that restored the Vista's 1926 plasterwork and installed new accessibility seating.
A Tight Race
The competition remained close throughout. Kirkland and Williams traded the top spot on the leaderboard after every round until the final freestyle dances. Williams's crowd appeal was undeniable—audience text votes accounted for 40 percent of the final score—but Kirkland's technical execution won over the panel.
"DeShawn owned the room," Ludlum said during post-show interviews. "Ashley owned the footwork. That's what separated them."
As attendees filed onto Washington Street just before 10 p.m., several stopped to photograph the theatre's restored marquee, still lit in gold and purple from the event. Among them was Kirkland's co-anchor, who had spent the broadcast week teasing her participation on the morning show.
"She made us watch rehearsal footage at the editorial meeting," he said. "We were brutal to her. Tonight, she gets to be brutal back."
