PRESQUE ISLE — Ten years ago, officials with the United Way of Aroostook took a chance on a new fundraiser they hoped would replace an annual telethon that would still reach folks throughout Aroostook County. A decade later, they have succeeded in developing the largest and most successful talent show in northern Maine and northwestern
New Brunswick, raising more than $300,000 over the years for numerous worthwhile non-profit organizations, and making regional celebrities out of some of the international region’s top vocalists.
Organizers of the upcoming 10th anniversary season of Northern Star — which first began as Aroostook Idol before growing to include competitors from neighboring parts of New Brunswick — are planning a new twist to this year’s contest as they mark the milestone. The local stage show, originally modeled after the popular FOX television show “American Idol,” is adopting a concept introduced on the more recent singing competition show, NBC’s “The Voice.”
“Essentially, our audience will pick their top two contestants from each of our regional shows in Fort Kent, Presque Isle and Houlton, as they have for several years. The new twist is that instead of the judges picking the third finalist to head to our finale production, they will actually pair each of the audience selections with a pick of their own. Each of the contestant pairs will work with a regional judge to prepare and sing one song together at the finale,” said Claudia Stevens, executive director of the United Way of Aroostook. “At the finale, the audience will vote for the contestant in each pair they felt was the strongest. The audience picks will then compete solo in the final round for the 2014 Northern Star title.”
The first of the regional competitions is set for Friday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. in the Fox Auditorium at the University of Maine at Fort Kent. The second regional show will be held Saturday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. at the Presque Isle Middle School Auditorium. The final contestants will compete at the Houlton High School Auditorium Sunday, Feb. 9 at 2 p.m.
The contest is open to singers from throughout Aroostook County on the Maine side of the border and to residents of Madawaska, Victoria and Carleton counties in New Brunswick. Another new twist added by organizers this year — contestants can sign up for whichever date/location works best for them.
Applications for the 2014 competition are now available, and vocalists are encouraged to apply as soon as possible if they want to take part in one of the three regional shows. The forms can be downloaded off the United Way of Aroostook website at www.unitedwayaroostook.org or picked up at any northern Maine branch of KeyBank. Residents, age 12 and above, who live in the three counties in New Brunswick that border Aroostook County are eligible to compete alongside solo singers from northern Maine.
“I cannot believe it has been 10 years already since we launched this singing competition,” said Jason Parent, who co-hosts the show with Stevens and has been with the production since the beginning. “I am looking forward to this anniversary year and to these new twists in the competition that I think our audience members will really enjoy. Our finale show will involve more contestants from the regional shows and will keep more of the singers in contention for the title through the final round than we have ever have seen in the past.”
Organizers are targeting 15 as the number of singers for each of the three regional shows. The pairs of singers created with the audience and judges’ picks from these shows will compete in the Northern Star Finale Sunday, Feb. 23 at 2 p.m. at the Caribou Performing Arts Center.
Organizers will continue with changes they made to the judges panel a few years ago when they went away from having the same three judges appear at each regional venue. Instead, three local “celebrity” judges from that specific region will sit on each panel. The local judges will help “coach” the regional contestant pairs for the finale, including picking the song they will perform.
Admission to each regional show and the finale production is $10. All proceeds from funds raised at the door will go directly to the United Way of Aroostook’s annual campaign.
For more information, contact the United Way of Aroostook at 764-5197.
