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Local singing contest kicks off round one

June 15, 2007|James Kroemer

If 10-year-old Victoria Wise ever makes it big as a country singer, there were a lot of folks in downtown Winchester Friday night who will be able to say they heard her sing when she was just starting out.

Victoria was one of 23 contestants in the opening round of Winchester Superstar, the American Idol-styled contest that will seek to uncover the area's most talented performers in three age groups over the summer.

The event drew a large crowd, many of whom brought their own lawn chairs and sat in the middle of Main Street, which had been blocked off for the event. Victoria had them clapping and stomping their feet with her rendition of "Hillbilly Shoes" by Montgomery Gentry.

She wasn't the only one, though, as many in the crowd commented on the outstanding talent the contest drew. Competing in the 15 and under category, crowd favorites included five-year-old Rocky McKenzie and his seven-year-old sister Jada McKenzie, who both showed remarkable poise and musical ability in singing without musical accompaniment.

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The younger group also included Dalton Sexton, 13, the only Elvis impersonator in the group of performers.

In the 16-28 age group, Hannah Rector, 17, and Amy Elliott, 28, wowed the crowd with poised and polished performances.

There are no celebrity judges for Winchester Superstar, so the audience will be asked to decide who moves on to the next round.

The public can vote online by logging onto www.winchestersun.com and clicking on the Winchester Superstar logo at the top of the page. Paper ballots can also be cast at downtown businesses, including Expressions Coffee Shop, Bailey's Cafe, Subway, Harper's Pawn Shop, Court Street Gifts, Judy's Stitch in Time, Marlena's, and Capt. Cosmo Collectibles.

Voting for Friday night's contestants will end Wednesday, June 20. Another 25 contestants will take the stage next Friday, June 22, to complete the audition rounds.

The top vote getters from the first two Fridays will advance to the next rounds on July 13 and 20. The semifinal willl be Friday, August 17, and the finals will be Friday, August 24. All events are downtown on the Main Street side of the county courthouse and begin at 6 p.m.

Contestants performing Friday in the 15 and under age group were Hagan Wells, Whitney Tipton, Brittany Means, Austin Clark, Savanna Stone, Allyson Ledford, Dalton Sexton, Jada McKenzie, Rocky McKenzie, Victoria Wise, and Charity Rison.

Contestants in the 16-29 age group were Ashley Benson, Ian Howes, Hannah Rector, Melissa Ison, Jon Baldwin, Tucker Montgomery, Scott Chason, Mary Spencer, Beth Frasure, Amy Rowland, Artavia Glover, and Amy Elliott.

Wichester Superstar is sponsored by Winchester First, The Winchester Sun, Harper's Pawn Shop, Bluegrass Design, Subway, Scobee Funeral Home, Bailey's Cafe, Van Ramey, Peoples Exchange Bank, Nashville Station, Captain Cosmo Collectibles, and Roland Taylor Funeral Home.

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