Sun(g) City

American Idol might take a few notes from Sun City: no nasty judges, no commercial breaks, no glaring product placement.

Sixteen resident contestants performed to a sold-out crowd of 400 in Drendel Ballroom of the Del Webb community in Huntley during its first Sun City Idol competition last week.

Judged by local celebrities including STAR FM DJ Gary Castaldo, actress Terri Ryan-Schlossberg and director Jane Tabisz, contestants were given approximately three minutes to sing their favorite song with background music provided by a CD or live accompanist.

Selections ranged from the Irish tear-jerking ballad "Danny Boy" to Frank Sinatra's "One for My Baby"" and Ricky Martin's "Cup of Life."

The master of ceremonies, tenor Richard Gersten, provided hefty doses of sarcasm and humor as he introduced each of the contestants. John Schmidt, who sang "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis, worked in Dominick's fish department for 36 years.

"Most people would be singing this song to the ladies," Gersten cracked. "John here -- he was singing it to the oysters."

Debra DeMarco placed second for her throaty rendition of "All that Jazz".

"I've always loved singing and theater," the former Lombard resident said. "I thought what the heck; I'll show my kids and grandkids I can do something different."

Third-place finisher Holly Veach performed a rendition of the Patsy Cline classic "Crazy."

"I love music and I always wanted to do it, but I was scared to death," she admits.

With a little coaching from her husband, who helped choreograph her "moves," Veach enjoyed her moment in the spotlight. She is now rehearsing for a lead role in the Sun City theater company's November production of "Bye Bye Birdie."

"It's so much fun, I'm just having a ball!" she says.

Ray Thomas won the competition with an emotional rendition of the Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody," his wife Darlene's favorite song.

Thomas attended Indiana University on a vocal scholarship, then spent 8 years in the Air Force before starting a career in data processing management.

"The last time I competed was 50 years ago to this date," he said. It was the Air Force 'Tops In Blue' contest, and he took second place in the Southwest region.

"I've been singing since I was 6 years old," he said, "But I'm so impressed with the amount of talent out here," he said.

So, in fact, is Pulte Homes, which owns the Del Webb Brand.

"Pulte got wind of our competition and decided to make it a national event," said special events coordinator Leslie Cowles.

Thanks to the initiative in Huntley, Del Webb communities across the country are slated to host similar competitions in the coming weeks.

On Oct. 20, community winners, including Thomas, will compete for a national crown at the Stand Up & Sing finals, hosted by Sun City Huntley.

Presented by ATA airlines, the national winner will receive a $1,000 cash prize.

"Musical productions have always been popular here," Cowles said. "But we had no idea the scope this would take."