EXPLORE – On Saturday, July 28, Central Wisconsin’s Got Talent held its annual talent competition as part of Hub City Days. This year we got to enjoy the new Wenzel Family Plaza.
Contestants from as young as 9 to well into adulthood displayed their talents in front of a panel of judges from the central Wisconsin area and a very appreciative audience. Most of the performers were from Marshfield but we did get some folks from Rapids, Spencer, Dorchester, Athens and even as far away as Sheboygan.
Our judges included Joelle Clark from the Main Street Dance Academy, Mika Brunson from the UW-Stevens Point/Marshfield campus, Joe Anderson from Loyal and Granton schools music programs and Jeff Cannon from WDLB. These four had the challenge of critiquing each act and determining the prize winners.
Winning a cash prize of $250 in second place was Nate Rogers (17) of Marshfield. Accompanied on percussion by his brother Cal, Nate shared an untitled original composition which showcased both his voice and his electric guitar skills. Taking first place with a cash prize of $500 was Dmitry Pesko (15) of Wisconsin Rapids for his presentation “ASD & Me” sharing his personal dealings with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
CWGT also had the added benefit of being able to advance two acts (one in the youth division ages 2-12 and one in the teen division ages 13-18) to the state junior youth amateur talent competition which took place this past weekend (Sunday, August 12) at the state fair in Milwaukee.
Morgan and Edyn Vechinski (ages 12 and 9 respectively) of Marshfield were chosen by the judges to represent CWGT in the youth division. While they did not place, they performed well with their rendition of “Blackbird,” creating lovely harmonies and accompanying themselves on ukulele and guitar and enjoyed the experience.
Nate Rogers competed in the teen division and won 3rd place at the state level earning a cash prize of $1,000.
Thanks again to our sponsors this year: Rembs Funeral Home and Crematory (gold level) and Merle Norman (bronze level).
Be watching for notifications in the early springtime via our CWGT Facebook page and area press releases regarding next year’s competition.
