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The sound of music By CHRISTOPHER TUFFLEY christopher.tuffley@newssun.com SEBRING -- With the aroma of charcoal grills providing a delicious tang to the air and the largest audience gathered for the opening round, the sixth annual Heartland Idol Competition -- junior and teen division 2009 -- got under way Thursday night almost on time. Don Elwell, local master of ceremonies extraordinaire, hosted the evening. In front of a festive crowd of more than 300 people 23 youngsters and teens ranging from 6 to 17 years old performed acappella, singing a wide variety of songs from "Animal Crackers in My Soup" by Shirley Temple to "My Eye is on the Sparrow" to "Teasing to Please" by Cute is What We Aim For. Each performance was timed at 90 seconds. The singers were judged on vocal performance, stage presence and costume by five judges. The top five scorers in each category move on to round two. Vickie Jones, of the News-Sun; Mike Henry, of Cross Country; Stacy Clark of WWOJ; Rebekah Faith; and Jim McCollum, an attorney and active Highlands Little Theatre volunteer, had the difficult task of judging. As Faith said early on, "Any of these kids deserve kudos for getting on stage in front of these people." Clark, at the end of the evening, said, "I thought it was fun and entertaining. Something people shouldn't miss." As it turned out, the 23 singers made wonderful music and the crowd let the young people know they enjoyed every number. The judges were gentle but honest, helping the less experienced performers with useful tips. The five juniors who advance to the next round are: Sydni Hornick, 10, from Lake Placid; Hannah Kaszubowski, 10, from Sebring; Larissa Meagher, 9, from Lake Placid; Paolo Benedict Pineda, 8, of Sebring; and Nala Price, 10, of Sebring. The five teens who advanced to the next round are: Christopher Hawthorne Jr., 14, from Sebring; Justus Martin, 16, from Sebring; Tamra McMahon, 13, from Sebring; Kristin Paradero, 15, of Avon Park; and Lauren Schaffe, 14, of Lake Placid. Thursday is the second qualifying round for juniors and teens. Contestants who didn't make the cut this week may re-enter the competition at half price. The teen semi-finals are on Sept. 10, the junior finals are on Sept. 17, which is also the first qualifying round for adults. The teen finale is on Oct. 1.  Heartland Idol (by: Nancy Reyburn - 9/21/2009) If it were not for Don doing the MC it would be boring and not all the fun and enjoyment we all get from his quick timing and sense of humor. He makes the show and keeps it moving. The kids this year are extremely good. This is my 3rd year, keep coming back because it is entertaining. SOUND (by: watcher - 9/1/2009) I agree, the sound was great. singers were great, judges were great, MC was great I wouldn't miss it for the world (by: Ted - 8/31/2009) Always the best entertainment. I love how the crowds keep getting bigger and bigger. The sound was excellent this year, better than ever in my opinion. Who'd doing thatthis year??? IDOL (by: avid watcher - 8/29/2009) Great show as always. It amazes me how these people put this together every year. They are not professionals, just a great group of people who care about this event and it shows every year.  Small Banner Ads |
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