As I sat watching the performances of students from across eastern Wake County at last Thursday night’s Stars in the East performance, I couldn’t help but feel good about what the future holds for our children.

Yes, I know reassignment is an ever-hovering nightmare. Yes, I know the rich new Wake County residents are pushing for what would be a monumental shift in the way we elect our school board members — a change that would impact eastern Wake County negatively. And, yes, I know budget pressures often cut deepest in arts programs.

But on Thursday night, I saw group after group of children parade onto the stage and sing, dance and act with a degree of confidence and skill I could never muster.

Stars in the East, if you’ve somehow never managed to attend, is a brazen fundraiser that supports the East Wake Education Foundation.

Parents, family and friends shell out a few bucks each year to watch the children in performances they have practiced weeks and months to perfect.

Corporate sponsors open their checkbooks for a chance to be associated with the program because it displays what’s good about our school system.

I told a couple East Wake Education Foundation board members after the show that I wasn’t worried anymore about who would take care of me in my old age because today’s crop of young people includes some bright, talented youngsters who have successful futures ahead of them.

Every year’s performance includes at least one show-stopper and this year was no different.

The Knightdale High School Gospel Choir was more than impressive. Emcee Duke Sanders was careful to point out the group is an extracurricular program at the school. In other words, the school’s not crossing that church/state line that upsets some. But those children had presence and a style that said they were serious about their craft.

Perhaps the only disappointment in Thursday night’s event came at the close of the keynote speaker’s remarks.

Dr. Lee Jobe, with Wake Heart and Vascular Associates, spoke to the crowd about the history of heart health care, and he offered some interesting facts about the human heart. He intermingled his remarks with stories about some interesting studies, including one that suggests that prayer is an important ingredient in heart health.

But as he wrapped up his remarks, some in the crowd made it all too clear that they weren’t there to hear Jobe.

The folks at the table where I was sitting were mortified that anyone would be so disrespectful.

The truth is, such behavior doesn’t reflect well on the eastern Wake County region in general. I suspect the children who performed Thursday night spent part of their night just trying to make up for the crass behavior of some of their parents. But Jobe took the bum’s rush gracefully and as I watched him through the night, he seemed to genuinely enjoy the children’s performances.

If you didn’t make it to Thursday night’s show, that’s too bad.

You really missed some excellent performances from children of all ages.

There are probably only a handful of annual events in eastern Wake County that I’d suggest are can’t miss. I count the Stars in the East at the top of that list.