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Tony Orlando of Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree fame is heading to the Tampa Bay area to help state Rep. Gus Bilirakis win a seat in Congress.
The Tarpon Springs Republican met Orlando last summer at a Greek convention in Las Vegas, and Bilirakis said the half-Greek singer quickly insisted he wanted to help on the campaign.
Bilirakis is running to succeed his father, U.S. Rep. Mike Bilirakis, and said Orlando is a fan of Mike Bilirakis' work on veterans issues.
Orlando will headline a holiday party from 7 to 10 p.m. Dec. 5 at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Community Center. It is open to the public. Without his band present, though, Orlando won't sing, Bilirakis said.
"He said he would raise money for me, but I chose not to do that. I wanted to share this event with everyone," Bilirakis said. "We're going to do a little salute to the veterans, but I also want to do a little salute to the (campaign) volunteers."