FLORENCE — Thursday the Blackwood Quartet will perform at the Florence-Lauderdale Coliseum to raise money for the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Reserve Deputies.

The concert will begin at 7 p.m., and the money raised will go to help provide uniforms and other supplies needed by the volunteer-based deputies.

Terry Woods, the deputy in charge of the reserve unit at Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office, said the group rides patrol with officers and assist with security at the courthouse or help transport prisoners.

“Basically whatever we need them to do, and they’re not paid,” Woods said. “We usually have between 10 or 12 at any given time and we’re trying to raise money to buy stuff for them. And we feed them once a month.”

Woods said some of the members of the reserve deputies are retired or middle-aged, while others are younger adults who are interested in becoming police officers. Eight or nine of the reserve deputies, he said, have been hired as police officers at different agencies in the Shoals in the last five years.

“It’s a pretty good thing,” Woods said. “It allows people to get in and get their feet wet, see if it’s truly what they want to do.”

The concert will feature the Blackwood Quartet, a touring gospel quartet that was formed in 1934.

The group, now led by Mark Blackwood son of original member Cecil Blackwood, has recorded more than 200 albums.

“They do the traditional Southern gospel quartet sound,” said David Stallings, of Landmark Productions, who is organizing the concert. “They do an interesting show, they take requests from the audience and I’ve never seen them stumped on an old one.

“People just call out the names of these old Southern gospel tunes. And they’ll sing them.”

One of the highlights of the fundraiser, is it’s a completely family friendly atmosphere.

“People can bring their 6-year-old child or their grandmother and everyone will enjoy it,” Stallings said.

“It’s strictly gospel music.”

Stallings said he has worked with the reserve deputies in the past to help raise money for them.

“It’s a very good cause,” Stallings said.

Bobby Bozeman can be reached at 256-740-5722 or bobby.bozeman@TimesDaily.com.