Two Clarion Residents Participate in Franklin’s Celebration of Talent on Saturday

Joanne Bauer

Joanne Bauer

Published February 3, 2017 5:32 am
Image

FRANKLIN, Pa. – Joni Zacherl and Jordan Karg, both of Clarion, are participating in the “Celebration of Talent” competition on Saturday, February 4, at the Barrow-Civic Theatre in Franklin.

The Barrow-Civic Theatre and the Franklin Rotary Club are hosting Celebration of Talent, a competition where the winners will be decided by the audience.

The event begins at 7:30 p.m.

Twelve contestants — including singers, musicians, a band, a dancer, and a magician — will display the best of their skills and abilities on stage in a preliminary round. Through audience voting, five of those contestants will move on to perform again in the final round. The winners will be chosen by a second audience vote and announced at the end of the evening.

First Place will receive $500.00 cash; Second Place will receive $300.00 cash; and Third, Fourth and Fifth Places will each receive $100.00 Franklin Retail & Business Association gift certificates.

Twenty-five individuals and groups from around the region submitted applications and audition videos for consideration to compete in the event. The following twelve applicants have been selected to perform.

Ben Knecht

ben-knecht-138x150
Ben (16, Oil City) attends Oil City High School and is an intern in Joy Global’s mechanical engineering department. In his spare time, he enjoys skateboarding, playing guitar, and staying busy with “all sorts of projects”. He performed in last year’s “Taste of Talent” competition in Franklin, alongside Joey Lillard. He will be performing a drum solo at the event.

Beth Ann Proudfoot

beth-ann-proudfoot1-138x150
Beth Ann (26, Franklin) is a Family Group Decision-Making Coordinator and Facilitator at Child to Family Connections. She has been performing “since (she) could talk and walk”, and attributes her parents as mentors and coaches who have helped her to achieve her goals. She won the UCWDC Country Dance World Championship with her then-dance partner, and has performed on American Idol and at many local events and venues including the Barrow-Civic Theatre, HOLeY Jeans, Kayton Kids, Studio 22, Dance Vibe, Franklin’s “Taste of Talent” and Applefest, and more. She will be singing an at the event.

Deanna Wolfgong

deanna-wolfgong-138x150
Deanna (32, Franklin) is a full-time aide at Rocky Grove High School, owns a music therapy private practice called DS Music Therapy, is a Perfectly Posh consultant, and a graduate student at Slippery Rock University. She has been performing publically since high school with the group “Music Buddies”, and performed in Franklin’s “Taste of Talent” competition and Franklin’s Applefest last year. In addition to singing, she enjoys playing guitar, ukulele and piano. She will be singing at the event.

Ellen Clarahan

image4-138x150
Ellen (24, Franklin) operates her own local business, Clarahan String Studio, where she offers private lessons in violin, viola, cello and piano. She graduated from Grove City College with a bachelor’s degree in Music Performance, and enjoys playing for weddings, dinners, concerts, and other events. When she lived in Pittsburgh, she enjoyed playing her music in public places, an act known as “busking”. She recently performed violin for a group of 119 children in a large ballroom in Chiang, Mai, Thailand as part of a teaching experience. She will be performing an original and improvisational violin piece at the event.

Emilie Ruhlman

image5-138x150
Emilie (14, Franklin) attends Christian Life Academy and will soon begin working part-time for Deet’s Sugar House. She has been performing in her school’s talent shows since the 4th grade. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, singing, and playing guitar. She is currently participating in FCOA Youth Theatre’s production of “Robin and the Sherwood Hoodies” at the Barrow-Civic Theatre. She will be singing at the event.

Joni Zacherl

image6-138x150
Joni (16, Clarion) is an active junior at Clarion-Limestone High School, where she is a member of the Sensations show choir, a percussionist in band, and performed in the school’s production of “Shrek the Musical”. She has been singing since she was 7 years old and has sung in her school’s talent shows, local singing competitions, and at the Jefferson County Fair. She was runner-up in last year’s “Taste of Talent” competition in Franklin. In addition to singing, she enjoys playing the piano and ukulele. She will be singing at the event.

Jordan Karg

image7-138x150
Jordan (22, Clarion) currently works as a manager at Dominos in Clarion. He began taking courses at Clarion University for Musical Education and will continue his education at Berklee School of Music later this year. He has performed in “Oklahoma!”, “Godspell”, “Mary Poppins”, and other productions at the Barrow-Civic Theatre, and takes part in Franklin’s “Taste of Talent” every summer. One of his most memorable experiences performing was at Carnegie Hall in New York with his choir. He hopes to start his own recording studio someday. He will be performing a guitar solo with some improvisation at the event.

Nathaniel Baker

image8-138x150
Nathaniel (12, Rouseville) attends Oil City Middle School and enjoys singing in his school’s choir and at United Methodist Church. At the young age of twelve, he plays twelve instruments — piano, trumpet, flute, piccolo, saxophone, clarinet, tuba, baritone, trombone, violin, viola and bass. He will be performing on piano at the event.

Rob Hoover

image9-138x150
Rob (41, Franklin) is a graduate of Franklin High School and Gannon University, where he majored in Theatre. He worked previously as the Barrow-Civic Technical Director and currently works in Clarion University’s Department of Visual Performing Arts. He has performed publically for most of his life, including in some recent productions at the Barrow. He will be performing a family-friendly magic act at the event.

The Plot Twist

image10-138x150
Band members of The Plot Twist include Bryan Snyder (Vocals/Guitar), Buster Saeli (Guitar), Brittany York (Bass), and Mitchell Osborne (Drums). The local pop/punk group recently released their newest EP titled “High Tides and Low Lives”, which features a primary single that they will be performing at the event.

Tyler Carson

image11-138x150
Tyler (17, Franklin) attends Rocky Grove Junior Senior High School and is an Eagle Scout and member the National Honors Society. He has performed in multiple productions at the Barrow-Civic Theatre and in Franklin’s “Taste of Talent” competition in 2015 and 2016. He will be singing at the event.

Trista Armstrong

image12-138x150
Trista (14, Apollo) attends Huston Middle School. She enjoys drawing and dancing in her spare time. Last November, she attended the Nuvo Dance Convention and Competition in Pittsburgh and met some of her dance idols. She will be ballet dancing at the event.

About the Event/Ticket Information

“This is a new event for the area because it displays all different forms of talent, not just singing,” says Barrow-Civic Theatre General Manager, Zachary Covington.

“We were amazed by the talent we saw in all of those audition videos. It was not an easy task to choose only twelve, but we think that these contestants are really going to wow the audience with their performances.”

The Barrow-Civic Theatre offers a wide range of events, entertainment, and educational programs to Venango County and its surrounding areas throughout the year.

The Franklin Rotary Club’s main objective is developing projects to address many of today’s most critical issues, such as children at risk, poverty, hunger, the environment, illiteracy, and more. The two non-profit organizations have worked together on multiple, successful projects in the past, and are hopeful to receive even more community interest and support for this event.

Tickets are $15.00 (general admission) and are available at the Barrow-Civic Theatre at 1223 Liberty Street in Franklin, by calling 814-437-3440, or visiting www.barrowtheatre.com.

Recent Articles

Community Partner