First round Sr. finalists named for Kane Co. Fair Talent Contest
Forty-two talented young people participated in the Kane County Fair Talent Contest auditions held at St. Patrick School in St. Charles on Saturday, June 13, according to Larry Rossi of RPM Creative Music, coordinator of the talent contest.
Twenty-nine contestants - 11 acts in the junior division, and 10 acts in the senior division - are set to compete in the 31st annual Kane County Fair Talent Contest at 7 p.m. Monday, July 13, in the Prairie Events Center at the Kane County Fairgrounds, Randall Road and Route 64 in St. Charles.
Admission is free to all who wish to attend. Bring the whole family! Enter at Gate 2 on Miller Road behind the fairgrounds. Free parking is available just west of Gate 2. The talent contest will be held in the air-conditioned Prairie Events Center building on the south side of the fairgrounds.
The first-place winners move on to represent Kane County on Jan. 16, 2016, at the Illinois Association of Agricultural Fairs Official Talent Contest State of Illinois competition in Springfield.
"We were very pleased with the large number of audition participants this year," said Rossi. "Our judges were highly impressed with the quality and caliber of talent in our community."
First-round participants in the Senior Division (ages 15 to 21) include:
• Dancer Galina Knorst of St. Charles with song "Lay Me Down"
• Singer Matt Skirmont of Batavia with "The Man I Want to Be"
• Dancer Kendra Knorst of St. Charles with "Fool for You"
• Singer and dancer Katrina Volkening of Hampshire with "House of the Rising Sun"
• Pianist Alex Vonderhaar of St. Charles with Prelude in C# Minor
• Lyrical dancers Caitlin Mourek of Geneva and Maeve Krzysiak and Frankie Henson, both of St. Charles, with "Trouble"
• Singer Emma Gulstine of St. Charles with "Dream"
• Singer and pianist Megan Clemens of Geneva with "Hallelujah"
• Singer Jessica Blakely of St. Charles with "The Girl in 4G"
• Classical guitarist Emma Pettyjohn of Sugar Grove with "An Malvina."
Contestants will be judged on technique, stage presentation, audience appeal and appearance. Cash prizes will be awarded in each division: first place, $200; second place, $125; and third place, $75. All other finalists will receive $20 per act.
Everyone is encouraged to stop by and enjoy the talent contest winners' performances at 3 p.m. Saturday, July 18, during the Kane County Fair.
The annual contest is open to any person or group (school/organization) residing in Kane County. For more information and how to enter future contests, call (847) 622-9935 or email KaneCoTalent@aol.com.