Students to take stage for We’ve Got Talent

The most talented high school performers in the Garland County area are set to hit the stage Friday in the United Way of the Ouachitas’ annual competition.

The fourth annual We’ve Got Talent competition will be held at the Jessieville Performing Arts Center. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. Friday and the competition will begin at 7 p.m.

Tickets will be available at the door. The cost is $10 for adults. Students and children can attend for free.

Students from nine area high schools will compete for $3,000 in scholarship funds. A traveling trophy is presented to the school of the winner.

The contestants, and their schools, are Johnathan Brightwell, Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts; Jeremi Harvey, Fountain Lake; Aaron Holland, Cutter Morning Star; Shaun Holland, Magnet Cove; Josue Ibarra, Hot Springs; Jazzieville chorus, Jessieville; Raven Tomberlin, Mountain Pine; Ryan Trevino, Lake Hamilton; and Krystyna Valdivia, Lakeside.

Schools hosted qualifying competitions for students to earn their places in the area competition. The qualifiers boast a variety of talent showcases, including an operatic aria, electric guitar and electric violin. Additional entertainment will be provided by a star from the First Step talent show competition and The Youngbloods, the band of the Blues in the

Schools project.

The annual competition began as the brainchild of former Oaklawn Park announcer Terry Wallace, who serves on the United Way’s board. Participation began with schools in Garland County.

The first-place prize is $1,500 in scholarship funds, which are awarded to the school the student attends. Performers are presented a personal trophy.

Second place is worth $1,000. Third place is $500.

Lake Hamilton has held onto the traveling trophy for the past two years. Amy Arego won first place in the 2016 competition.

The Lakeside duo of T.J. McDaniel and his cousin, Jacob Slayton, placed second. Jessieville student Ben Carey won third place.

Anna Crane, also of Lake Hamilton, won the 2015 event. Hannah Hooper, from ASMSA, placed second, and Donald Arendt, from Fountain Lake, placed third.

ASMSA’s Claire Turkal won the inaugural event in 2014. Camille Eisenhauer, of Jessieville, was the first runner-up.

The event was held at Lakeside, Fountain Lake and Lakeside again in its first three years. Sponsors include the Morris Foundation, Entergy, Diamond Lakes Federal Credit Union, Ike Eisenhauer State Farm Insurance Agency, Med Express, 61 Celsius and Wheeler Printing.

Davis Tillman will emcee the event. Tillman is a native of New York and graduate of the theater department at Georgetown University. He is best known locally for his role as “The Baron” at the Levi Hospital Baron’s Ball.

Kerry Lockwood Owen will reprise her role as stage manager to help the high school acts add polish and professionalism to their performances.