Post by jptheprofessor on Apr 27, 2008 21:52:19 GMT -5
In Local Music News…
The 18th annual Crazy Fest Amateur Youth Talent Show took place this past Sunday afternoon at the Greenwood Firehall in Altoona. Organized and hosted by Dennie Huber, the event again gave young entertainers ages 21 and under an opportunity to showcase their talents. Twenty-five individual contestants participated in this year’s Crazy Fest, along with six performing duo and group acts. When Dennie Huber handed out the trophies and hardware at the end of the afternoon, here were the top finishers…In the Age 6 and under division, 6-year-old Anatasia Kimball won with her acrobatic dance routine. In the age 7 to 9-year-old division, 9-year-old Shannon Barnes of Hollidaysburg won with her singing performance of Allan Sherman’s novelty hit “Hello Muddah Hello Faddah.” In the age 10 and 11 division, 10-year-old Cindy Piner of Altoona won top honors with her dance routine. In the age 12 category, Harley Saltzgiver of Duncansville captured first place with her ballet-styled dance performance. In the age 13 to 15 division, Eden Henry of Hollidaysburg won with her singing and keyboard performance. In the age 16 bracket, Mara Murphy of Hollidaysburg captured the gold with her singing performance. In the age 17 and 18 category, 17-year-old Nick Finucchio of Altoona won first place with his singing and keyboard performance of an original song called “A Little Pink Ribbon.” And in the age 19 division, Danny Tippery of Duncansville won for his acoustic guitar and singing rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man.” In the duo and group category, the duo of Bidoli & Coppola won for their Italian-themed dance performance. Other Crazy Fest awards included the “Fan Favorite” awards, voted on by the audience; the female fan favorite winner was 7-year-old Mackenzie Brantner of Altoona for her drumming performance, and the male fan favorite winner was 12-year-old Carter Cerully of East Freedom for his folk singing performance. The Future Star awards, as selected by the judging panel, went to Shannon Barnes in the ages 12-and-under division, and to Danny Tippery in the age 13 and older division. Crazy Fest also awarded several Outstanding Awards; 8-year-old drummer Matthew Bidoli of Altoona won the Outstanding Musician award, Cindy Piner won Outstanding Dancer, the young singing duo of Barnes & Wood won for Outstanding Variety Act, Nick Finucchio won Outstanding Male Vocalist, and Mara Murphy won Outstanding Female Vocalist. Lastly, 4-year-old Layna Henry won the Most Original Performance award for her belly-dancing routine to the “I Dream of Genie” television theme. Crazy Fest was again well-attended, and again lived up to its billing as a fun and at times crazy family event. On behalf of Dennie Huber, thanks to all of the sponsors, the Greenwood Volunteer Fire Company, Jack Servello for running sound, all the volunteers who helped with the event, the contestants, and everybody who came out to support the event. Q94 and Pennsylvania Musician Magazine were again proud to be sponsors of this year’s Crazy Fest, and we look forward to next year’s event!
The 18th annual Crazy Fest Amateur Youth Talent Show took place this past Sunday afternoon at the Greenwood Firehall in Altoona. Organized and hosted by Dennie Huber, the event again gave young entertainers ages 21 and under an opportunity to showcase their talents. Twenty-five individual contestants participated in this year’s Crazy Fest, along with six performing duo and group acts. When Dennie Huber handed out the trophies and hardware at the end of the afternoon, here were the top finishers…In the Age 6 and under division, 6-year-old Anatasia Kimball won with her acrobatic dance routine. In the age 7 to 9-year-old division, 9-year-old Shannon Barnes of Hollidaysburg won with her singing performance of Allan Sherman’s novelty hit “Hello Muddah Hello Faddah.” In the age 10 and 11 division, 10-year-old Cindy Piner of Altoona won top honors with her dance routine. In the age 12 category, Harley Saltzgiver of Duncansville captured first place with her ballet-styled dance performance. In the age 13 to 15 division, Eden Henry of Hollidaysburg won with her singing and keyboard performance. In the age 16 bracket, Mara Murphy of Hollidaysburg captured the gold with her singing performance. In the age 17 and 18 category, 17-year-old Nick Finucchio of Altoona won first place with his singing and keyboard performance of an original song called “A Little Pink Ribbon.” And in the age 19 division, Danny Tippery of Duncansville won for his acoustic guitar and singing rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man.” In the duo and group category, the duo of Bidoli & Coppola won for their Italian-themed dance performance. Other Crazy Fest awards included the “Fan Favorite” awards, voted on by the audience; the female fan favorite winner was 7-year-old Mackenzie Brantner of Altoona for her drumming performance, and the male fan favorite winner was 12-year-old Carter Cerully of East Freedom for his folk singing performance. The Future Star awards, as selected by the judging panel, went to Shannon Barnes in the ages 12-and-under division, and to Danny Tippery in the age 13 and older division. Crazy Fest also awarded several Outstanding Awards; 8-year-old drummer Matthew Bidoli of Altoona won the Outstanding Musician award, Cindy Piner won Outstanding Dancer, the young singing duo of Barnes & Wood won for Outstanding Variety Act, Nick Finucchio won Outstanding Male Vocalist, and Mara Murphy won Outstanding Female Vocalist. Lastly, 4-year-old Layna Henry won the Most Original Performance award for her belly-dancing routine to the “I Dream of Genie” television theme. Crazy Fest was again well-attended, and again lived up to its billing as a fun and at times crazy family event. On behalf of Dennie Huber, thanks to all of the sponsors, the Greenwood Volunteer Fire Company, Jack Servello for running sound, all the volunteers who helped with the event, the contestants, and everybody who came out to support the event. Q94 and Pennsylvania Musician Magazine were again proud to be sponsors of this year’s Crazy Fest, and we look forward to next year’s event!