Joe Rivard said he didn’t want his victory Friday night to go his head.

The Essexville junior won the Central Star Finale which took place
in Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium.

Contestant Michelle Brooks, Benton Harbor freshman, came in second
and Amy Burdo, Lakeview freshman, came in third.

“I just feel blessed. I just knew it wasn’t me singing it was all
God,” Rivard said. “I’m not doing it to be huge. I love to do it and it
just happens to be working out right now.”

Rivard said he felt relaxed performing in his faded white and blue
jersey T-shirt with a hole, blue jeans and blue Converse tennis shoes.
He sang and played his acoustic guitar to “Take Me Away” by Lifehouse
and “Baby I Need Your Lovin’” by The Four Tops.

“It’s been through a lot of shows,” he said of his shirt. “I know I
could come dressed up, but said ‘Forget it. I’m going to throw on my
Converses.’”

Brooks sang “Respect” by Aretha Franklin and a self-composed hip-hop
song, “Get Over You.”

Burdo sang and played her acoustic guitar to “How Sweet It Is” by
James Taylor and her self-composed “Raindrops.”

Bob Guiney, from ABC’s “The Bachelor,” and the Bob Guiney Band made
a special guest appearance to judge the event. He performed with the
Bob Guiney Band following the competition.

The other three judges were Bobby St. Charles, evening host on
WCFX-FM 95.3 radio; Moneesa Credle, Sterling Heights senior; and Alan
Gumm, associate music professor.

Guiney said he looked for contestants who had fun on stage and
respected contestants for singing their original works.

“I thought all of them had their unique strengths. The person that
has the best combination of those will win,” he said. “I think that it
takes a lot of guts to sing originals.”

Petoskey junior Elizabeth Phelps said she voted for Rivard because
she thought his voice was amazing.

“I thought it was neat how it was just him and the guitar,” she
said. “I can see him going far in music.”

The Central Star competitions, based on Fox’s popular show “American
Idol,” was sponsored by On the Fly Productions.

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