Move over, Howie Mandel. Step aside, Sofia Vergara. Take a hike, Heidi Klum. And shut up, Simon Cowell.
Wadena Area Chamber of Commerce will host “Wadena’s Got Talent!” Lunde Auto Sales of Wadena is sponsoring June Jubilee’s first talent show at Burlington Northern Park in Wadena.
“Back in February, I put up on Facebook a question about what would people like to see at June Jubilee this year, and a few people answered a talent show so that's kind of where it got started,” said Dana Cantleberry, executive director of the Wadena Area Chamber of Commerce.
Auditions for the talent show will be at 6 p.m. June 2 at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3922 at 213 First St. SE. The finalists will perform at 8 p.m. June 10 at the park at 100 Aldrich Ave. SW.
“Every December, they hold an Empty Stocking talent show here in town, and it is just amazing the talent that is at that talent show, which is held at the school, so I knew there was talent in the area,” Cantleberry said of the fundraiser for the seasonal food, toy, clothing and toiletry bank.
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Acts in the “Wadena’s Got Talent!” show will be allotted no more than five minutes to perform. Acts must provide their own CD music, CD player, instruments, keyboards and/or props at auditions/contest.
“It's that variety show featuring talent that could be magic, it could be singing, it could be dancing, it could be anything,” Cantleberry said.
Participants may only perform one time during the auditions/contest. Acts will be judged on: overall performance, audience engagement, stage appearance, originality, and personality.
Acts requiring large space will not be allowed. Performances are outdoors on a flatbed stage.
“We really do need more acts,” Cantleberry said. “I'm really hoping we get a lot more acts. ... We encourage acts from not only Wadena to audition but from around the area and state to audition.”
The individual entry fee is $25. The group entry fee is $50. Individual and group acts who make it to the finals on June 10 will perform for a chance at $1,000 for first place and $500 for runner-up.
“I can just tell you this much; They are mostly singing,” Cantleberry said of the acts that have already registered. “I really wish I could sing. That has always been a talent that I wish I had.”
All acts/members under the age of 18 must have a parent/guardian sign the permission section of the registration form, which can be found at: https://tinyurl.com/yk6f2uvd . Registration forms can also be found at the Wadena Area Chamber of Commerce and Lunde Auto Sales.
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Registration forms with entry fees are due at noon June 1 to the Wadena Area Chamber of Commerce by email at wadenachamber.events@gmail.com or by mail at P.O. Box 107, Wadena, Minnesota 56482. Checks should be payable to Wadena Area Chamber Talent Show.
Free commemorative June Jubilee hats will be given to the first 50 people attending the talent show finals on June 10. Admission into the talent show finals is $5 for adults and free for 13 and under. A portion of the proceeds will go to Wadena Madhatters Community Theatre.
The two-day June Jubilee will include live music, arts vendors, youth fishing, a kiddie carnival, a car show, a bean bag tournament, food trucks, a beer garden and a kiddie parade besides the grand parade and a citywide garage sales from June 8 through June 10.
There will also be a classic car show, Sunnybrook Park 5K run/walk, a Black’s Grove Park bike race, a Wadena-Deer Creek golf tournament, a kiddie tractor pull, a medallion hunt, sidewalk sales, food vendors, beer-tasting, fireworks and more, according to the chamber’s website.
For more information about the June Jubilee and an up-to-date schedule of events, visit www.wadenachamber.org , Facebook at www.facebook.com/wadenachamber , email chamber@wadenacoc.com , call 218-632-7704 or stop by the chamber at 100 Aldrich SW.
FRANK LEE is the features writer for the Wadena Pioneer Journal. He may be reached at 218-631-6470 or at flee@wadenapj.com .
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