By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – The 57th annual Kiwanis Talent Revue has come and gone, proving once again local youth have what it takes to shine on stage.
Funds raised at this year’s event will be benefit area children.
“We raised a total of $2,500 with ads and ticket sales. The Presque Isle Kiwanis Club is very happy to provide an opportunity to let local talent shine while raising funds to help other children in the area,” said Kathie Beaulieu, member of the Kiwanis Board of Directors and co-chair of the Talent Revue Committee.
Serving as emcees for this year’s program were Kelly O’Mara and Shawn Cunningham. Both entertained the audience with lighthearted banter, with O’Mara performing a Christmas tune and Cunningham sharing a bit of opera. O’Mara noted she was no stranger to the stage, having taken part in the Talent Revue on a number of occasions, as well as holding the title of 1991’s Little Miss Potato Queen.
Winning this year’s show were four very talented participants from the four categories of the competition: MoonDance Junior Cloggers in the Elementary School – grades 1 through 5; Jordan Buckley in the Middle School – grades 6 through 8; Shayna da Cruz for High School – grades 9 through 12; and at the College level top honors went to Ariana Nelson.
MoonDance Junior Cloggers, from Mars Hill and Presque Isle, performed to ABBA’s “Mamma Mia” to win their category. Northstar Twirlers – Mini Marchers, from Caswell and surrounding towns, placed second, performing to “I Only Have Eye for You,” from the Disney production, “Monster’s Inc.”
Buckley, a Presque Isle Middle School student, wowed the judges with her amazing performance, singing “Concrete Angel” to take first place. Second-place honors went to Kelsey Gilson and Hannah Quinn for their hip-hop dance to “The Way I Are.” Also taking the stage in the Middle School category were Alexis Bradbury, of Mars Hill, and Nick Dominique, of Blaine, who performed a karate demonstration; Heather Nadeau, of Mapleton, who sang “I’m Yours;” and Trevor Levesque, of Presque Isle, who showed his skills performing a karate kata and sai kata.
First-place winner da Cruz, a Presque Isle High School student, chose a hip-hop dance number to a James Brown tune for her winning talent, followed in second place by Kyle Maier, of Caribou, who also danced, choosing a hip-hop/ballet routine to a song from the soundtrack “The Honey.” Also performing at the High School level were the MoonDance Star Cloggers, dancing to “Blue.”
Nelson, of Caribou, sang of Taylor the latte boy, earning the UMPI student first place. Cortney MacDonald, of Perham and also an UMPI student, took second place with her vocal and piano performance to “God’s Will.” Kelly Smith, of Mapleton, rounded out the College category, with the UMPI student doing a Middle Eastern dance to “Move Your Body.”
Kimberly Cook, of MoonDance Junior Cloggers, received the honor for high ticket sales for the evening.
Also providing entertainment during the show were Little Miss Potato Blossom 2008 Chloe Wheeler, of Bridgewater, and Junior Miss Potato Blossom 2008 Mikaela Powers, of Mapleton.
Cunningham and O’Mara told the audience the key thing with Kiwanis is community service.
“They’re always looking for new members. The Key Club is a great entry-level way to get involved,” said Cunningham, adding it’s a great organization for anyone “passionate about making a difference.”
This year’s show ended with the audience joining the cast in the traditional singing of “America the Beautiful,” accompanied on piano by Jan Kok, marking his 57th year directing the event.
Beaulieu was amazed by the talent level at this year’s show.
“All of the students were very talented and the auditorium was filled with a very energetic crowd. You could see the participants gleam in response to the enthusiastic audience cheering for them,” said Beaulieu. “We’re looking forward to the next show.”
