Frontenac’s Got Talent

Kelli McRobert | Feb 22, 2023

Talent shows have come a long way since their humble beginnings and then promotion to being televised in the late 1940s. The genre of reality TV was launched and audiences couldn’t get enough of oftentimes ‘quirky’ performances. Fast forward to 2023 and we still see an appetite for shows such as the Masked Singer, America’s Got Talent, and Dancing with the Stars.

This past weekend, Sharbot Lake hosted it’s annual Heritage Festival Talent Show to coincide with local Family Day activities. Spectators were asked to provide a donation to the local food bank, as an entry fee, and the more than 100 guests packed the place with curious enthusiasm. The ten selected performers anxiously awaited backstage as the MC for the night Robert Moore, welcomed the crowd and performed a parody song “It’s Cold in Sharbot Lake”.

Robert has been a member of the Heritage Committee for 6+ years, and this has been his main focus to showcase the great talent the region has to offer. He noted that it also provides another opportunity to boost donations to the local food bank and bring the community together, since they had been on a brief hiatus during the COVID lockdowns and restrictions. Craig Middleton is the new councillor who will be leading the group for the next year, and the hope is to encourage new members to join the group of 4 volunteers to continue the festival planning this Fall for the Winter 2024 events.

While the audience filed in, the performers limbered up and warmed up their voices and instruments. The judges set up for an evening of positive reinforcement as they assessed which performer deserved the coveted crown of best of show. The judges this year all had a background in music and were as follows: Chris Jones, Jonas Bonnetta, and Julia Shaw. The popcorn was donated by ReMax and the Local Brewer was on hand with some Parham brew to sip while you enjoyed the show.

While the show is somewhat less formal than those televised it was no less competitive as the 3 judges kept the audience energized while 10 performers demonstrated their creative skills. The performers were: Audrey Bateman, Dave Dawson, Emily Goodfellow, The Mitchie Girls (Evie and Izzy), Taylor and Emily Trussel, Allan Cooke, Karate Demo, Aurora Davis, Mike Proctor, and Marc Giroux. The performers wowed the crowd for over 2 hours and ranged in age from young to young at heart. When I spoke with Robert, he expressed his thanks to the North Frontenac Little Theatre Company for their support along with the volunteers including the Rec3 Committee, and Lee Casement who donated his time to work the sound board.

As the last of the performances ended, it was time for the judges to review their notes and take a quick huddle to determine the grand prize winner. It was decided that the songstress Aurora Davis was the winner of the crown for crown for this year for her vocal performance. The grade 8 student took to the stage to receive her crown, sash, and floral bouquet, taking one final bow, to close out yet another successful Heritage event.

Congratulations to Aurora, and everyone who performed on a job well done! We look forward to seeing who will take on the challenge next year!