First round Jr. 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 32nd 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 of the Kane County Fair Talent Contest this year move on to automatically 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 Junior Division (14 and under) include:
• Singer Dora Duhownik of St. Charles with the song "Naughty"
• Singer Kaci Callahan of Huntley with "Broken Wing"
• Singer Sydney Poss of North Aurora with "Fly Me to the Moon"
• Singer Grace Lenaghan of St. Charles with "Cinderella Medley"
• Singer Kiersten Larsen of South Elgin with "Let Me Be Your Star"
• Tap dancer CJ Silverman of Geneva with "Puttin' on the Ritz"
• Pianist Marilyn Gans of Batavia with "Baby's First Composition"
• Singer Kaidyn King of North Aurora with the song "Opportunity"
• Tap dancers Lily Henson of St. Charles, Faith Peterson of Geneva and Abby Reimer of Aurora with "American Bandstand"
• Dancers Laura Nelson, Alexis Defina and Pamela Nelson, all of St. Charles, with "Rockette"
• Dancers Lily Kott of Geneva and Nicole and Isabella Caballero of Elburn with "Who's Got The Pain?"
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. during the Kane County Fair on Saturday, July 18, on the main stage.
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.