Does your child have the voice of an angel? Or tap dance like Fred Astaire? Maybe they have a secret talent for magic that even you can’t quite figure out. Whatever their talent – it’s time to step into the limelight and let it shine.
The 2018 Lewis County Youth Talent Show is on April 21 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. This special event is a group effort – hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Centralia-Chehalis and the local Soroptimists. This year the event will be held at Liberty Theater in downtown Centralia’s Bethel Church. The show is sponsored by Hubbub and with prizes of $250 for first place, $100 for second place and $50 for third place in each age category, there is plenty of opportunity for young people to turn their talents into cash.
Bob Holland of Centralia General Agencies Inc. joined Kiwanis in 1985 when the talent show was still at R.E. Bennett School. “A lot of young people come to see their friends do well,” Holland says. “We want to have a forum where everybody has fun. It’s just all good community spirit.”
Scott White of The Fox Theatre will emcee and helped select the show’s judges. “We look for people who are in drama and music, and are accomplished in the arts for sharper judges,” Holland says.
The talent show is a great way to support kids in their endeavors. It also benefits The Fox Theatre’s restoration efforts and Kiwanis Club of Centralia-Chehalis’ local youth services. Programs such as high school Key Club and Terrific Kids at the elementary level are a longstanding Kiwanis tradition, recognizing leadership and positive youth behavior.
The Kiwanis Club has hosted youth talent shows since the 1950s. They took a break for a few years due to a lack of performer and volunteer interest. Fortunately, Donna Karvia, who was involved with the Soroptimist International Organization, wanted to see the tradition revived and the two clubs partnered to bring the event back to Lewis County. “Knowing we had some help from another club, it was easy for us to say yes,” Holland says.
The first half of the show will feature ten acts including groups, duets and trios. There will be raffle drawings during intermission, so bring cash for tickets. The raffle will feature great prizes and gift cards donated by various sponsors. Afterward, the final ten acts will perform and the winners in each age category will be announced. Contestants are grouped by age: nine and under, ten to fourteen and fifteen through high school. “There is no limit to the talent we see,” declares Holland. “We have a lot of homegrown talent.”
There have been many memorable acts, including a country singer from Toledo who now makes music in Nashville. There have also been some very talented violin and piano players, as well as rock bands and dancers. Once, three formidable young men did a ballet piece to jazz music. Then there was the performance of a young guitar player who dressed as a bright yellow chicken and sang a song she wrote about surviving Kentucky Fried Chicken and Colonel Sanders. “It’s that kind of creativity that makes the whole thing worthwhile – when somebody gets their creative juices going,” Holland says.
Steve Richert reminiscences about the talent show when it was at R.E. Bennett’s auditorium in 1955. “This event is close to my heart. As a second grader, I performed a comedy routine, written by my father, impersonating Jimmy Durante and finishing with a song. My sister Katy played accompaniment for me on stage as I warbled ‘Mr. Sandman,’ a huge pop hit at that time. But I was aced out by the Randle Grade School students dancing ‘The Old Virginia Reel.’ Twelve students versus Katy and me – we didn’t stand a chance in the audience balloting. I believe the whole town of Randle showed up.” Using Jimmy Durante’s catchphrase, Richert exclaims, “Everybody wants to get in the act!”
Richert goes on to say, “To get to the big show, I think I edged out John Jern, in his stylish red cowboy hat and outfit, singing ‘Home on the Range’ in the St. Joe’s Regionals.”
Memories like this are priceless. “We do this event as a service to the youth,” Holland says. “They get a chance to step-up, go through the auditions, grow from that experience and share their talents.”
Besides the benefit of prize money, families enjoy watching kids spread their wings and show their talents. “There is so much diversity in the different acts and it’s fun,” says Holland. “Sometimes acts are so polished, you feel like you should be watching it on television.”
Tickets can be purchased at Holley’s Place, Book ‘N’ Brush, Hubbub, brownpapertickets.com and centraliafoxtheatre.com. At $10 for general admission and $5 for kids age eleven and under, the Lewis County Youth Talent Show is a fun event for the whole family!
Liberty Theater
413 N. Tower Ave.
Centralia
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