Winners Announced for Mid-Missouri's Got Talent
Dude! That. Was. AWESOME! If you weren’t able to attend this year’s FUNdraising event, United Way of Central Missouri’s Mid Missouri’s Got Talent -- Rockin’ the ‘80s, you don’t know what you missed!
This was United Way of Central Missouri’s second year to host a talent show to raise campaign funds and awareness for the United Way. The contest encouraged talent auditions to be submitted online from June 1 through August 31, and encouraged contestants to ask friends, family, co-workers and even strangers on the street to vote, vote, vote for their favorite talent!
The top six finalists who received the most online votes were invited to perform at United Way of Central Missouri Mid Missouri’s Got Talent Show on September 13. This year’s 1980s theme included totally rad throwback music, clothing and hairstyles that make that particular era so memorable.
The show opened with the awesome music of Sam Luetkemeyer, followed by the opening act, a beautiful rendition of Patty LaBelle’s “New Attitude” sung by the 2015 Mid Missouri’s Got Talent winner, Sylvia Ferguson. The six finalists included Beth Barnhart, who sang a most excellent version of Time After Time; Sheila Berhorst who’s version of Material Girl was totally awesome; bodacious Natalie Eickhoff, who sang Hit Me With Your Best Shot; Andrew Dyer, who performed a rad dance to Footloose; a stellar performance by the (near Olympic) Rhythmic Gymnastics Team of Lyle Rosburg and Ryan Henry, and a totally incredible 80’s montage finale by Persephone Hamler and Jillian Wells! These finalists put on a show that was entertaining to the max!
Another highlight of the evening were six United Way of Central Missouri partner agencies featured between finalist acts. The children from Special Learning Center and Jefferson City Day Care Center sang a medley of ‘80s songs; Dreams to Reality clients from LaKaisha McCaleb’s Joy and Gladness Academy sang Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors; Capitol Projects and Osage County Community Living clients performed God Bless the USA; Council for Drug Free Youth sang Don’t You Forget About Me by Simple Minds; and the Boys & Girls Club Stomp Team performed a step routine to Michael Jackson’s Beat It. They gave such heartwarming performances that one cannot ignore the importance of continued strength, resolve and determination to carry on our efforts with these fundraising efforts to benefit the people served by the United Way partner agencies.
There were so many fun elements to this year’s show. Guest judges included Mayor Carrie Tergin, a.k.a Madonna;, Willie Jude II, a.k.a Michael Jackson; Warren Kretch, a.k.a Elton John and Stephanie Johnson, a.k.a Boy George, held photo ops “with the stars” prior to the show and added some quickwitted banter with our Master of Ceremonies, Barb Prasad, dressed in her Donna Johnson Miami Vice ensemble. Priceless!
After a night full of laughter, entertainment, and yes, a few tears; the fun and excitement continued as the awards were announced. The 2016 People’s Choice Winner was awarded to the contestant who received the most votes, and raised the most funds for the United Way, through the online pre-event. This $100 prize was awarded to Beth Barnhart--way to go Beth!
The victor of the 2016 United Way of Central Missouri’s Mid-Missouri’s Got Talent Show, bringing in the most votes of the night, was Andrew Dyer. Andrew was awarded a cash prize of $250. Congratulations, Andrew!
Of course none of this would have been possible without the generosity of our premier sponsor, JCMG Laser & Vein, the dedication and assistance of the News Tribune for providing the contest powers, and the bigheartedness of Conrad Audio, Dr. Pepper/Snapple Group, Fat Boys Fitness, Fechtel Beverage and Sales, Osage Ambulances and Target. And once again, The Millbottom was the perfect venue for the event. Here’s to this kind of success for years to come. Party on, Dudes.
Article by Lynne Bateman, Central Bank, United Way Mid-Missouri's Got Talent Committee Co-Chair
