Locals compete for a spot in radio talent show at summer festival
Mount Pleasant was bustling this past week as it held the annual summer festival at Island Park.
Complete with carnival rides and attractions, food and beverages and a large stage area turned beer tent after 8 p.m., there was something for everyone to enjoy. On Saturday afternoon, Channel 104.3 WCZY held a Hometown Showdown audition show, serving much like a talent show for contestants in order to win a grand prize from anywhere between $500-1,000. The contest concludes at the end of the summer with multiple audition shows performed live all around the Mid-Michigan area.
This year at Summerfest there were only three performers, each varying in performance style and also fighting for the grand prize for all the right reasons.
The first audition to walk up to the stage was Shephard native Terent Falin, a student at the McBride home for children with mental disabilities, who sang “(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time on You” by N’Sync.
“I want to show everyone that people with disabilities can succeed,” Falin said. “We are no different, and if I won the money, I would put it toward helping someone.”
Following the singing performance was a dance crew of five girls from the Off Broadway Performing Arts Studio, located downtown Mount Pleasant. All of the girls that were performing for the Hometown Showdown auditions were amongst many more of their peers performing earlier when “Off Broadway” had their own personal performance. The girls performed a hip-hop routine choreographed by their teacher Morgan Baumann, who saw a poster downtown and just decided to get my girls involved.
If they were to win the money, they would put it toward the dance studio.
“We have just created a new scholarship through the studio that would allow students that might not be able to afford dance lessons the opportunity to do so,” Baumann said.
The judging system is both based on judges that view the performers and the amount of votes the performers receive from the audience. It is encouraged to bring as many of your friends as you can, as to increase your chance of winning the popular vote, which is something Bob Peters, General Manager of WCZY, believes makes the contest fun for everyone.
“We just want everyone to enjoy themselves whether they are performing or not. While it’s usually based on how many of your friends show up with you, this is not always the deciding factor,” Peters said. “We had a contestant last year that came out of nowhere, brought no one with him, yet sang so beautifully that he went on to win the entire thing.”
Overall, the show made this year’s Mount Pleasant Summer Festival more enjoyable and gave a creative idea in bringing the community together. The event was completely free and brought in a multi-generational crowd.
