Singing competition kicks off Friday
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
Vocalists from both sides of the border will begin their quest for the title of Northern Star this weekend as the eighth annual singing competition kicks off Friday night in the St. John Valley.
For the first time, all three regional contests, in Fort Kent, Presque Isle and Houlton, are set for the same weekend — March 1-3.
“I’m trying to prepare myself for the weekend and conserve a little energy,” said Claudia Stevens, executive director of the United Way of Aroostook, who will co-host all the shows with Jason Parent. “It’s ambitious, but I think in the long run it’s going to be easier than stretching it out and spending four weekends doing this as opposed to two. And I think it builds the hype around the excitement of it. I think it was a smart move for us.”
The first competition is set for Friday, March 1 at 7 p.m. in the Fox Auditorium at the University of Maine at Fort Kent for singers from the St. John Valley and Madawaska County, New Brunswick.
Central Aroostook and Victoria County, New Brunswick residents will compete Saturday, March 2 at 7 p.m. at the Presque Isle Middle School Auditorium.
The final regional show will be held Sunday, March 3 at 2 p.m. where contestants from southern Aroostook County and Carleton County, New Brunswick will perform at the Houlton High School Auditorium.
Stevens said applications have been steadily coming in.
“The signup has been very good,” she said. “We have probably 10-12 acts for Fort Kent, the same in Houlton, and we’re going to have a full show in Presque Isle. I suspect we will get more contestants as the week goes on. A lot of people wait until the last minute.”
Tentatively performing at the Presque Isle regional show are Stuart Wyckoff, Keith Ouellette, Jamilynn Deschesne, Kent McLellan, Kiarah Pelletier, Tim Heary, Megan Ouellette, Lance Albair, Robin Mclellan, Robert Helstrom, Yvette Stephens, Michael Ouellette, Allyson Plummer, Dan Rooney, Heather Rose, Josh Doughty and Julie Waugh.
Entertaining at each of the three regional shows, as well as the finale, will be last year’s Northern Star Megan Ouellette from New Brunswick.
Audiences at each of the productions will determine two top solo winners from their region, and judges will pick the third. All nine solo singers, as well as the top groups, will compete Sunday, March 17 at the Caribou Performing Arts Center to determine the Northern Star winner. The top singing group will be called Northern Stars United.
Organizers will continue with changes they made to the judges’ panel two 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. At the end of each production, the audience will determine, by applause, which one of the three judges at their regional venue will “move on” to serve as a judge at the finale.
In Houlton, the judges will be Tammy Goetsch, Nancy Ketch and Annie Charles, who won the singing competition in 2007. Presque Isle judges will be Sherry Sullivan, Jim Derosier and Jay Nelson, while critiquing the Valley contestants will be Samantha Boutot, who won in 2006; 2009 winner Pam Cyr and Michelle Beaulieu.
Admission to each regional production will be $10. Tickets are available at all KeyBank branches, the United Way office and at the door. 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 at 764-5197.
