Audience helps judge Adult Talent Show

COLUMBIA — Audience members filled the multipurpose room Saturday at the Boone County Fair to watch the Adult Talent Show.

This year there was a new element to the judging of the talent show: Participants would not only be judged by the judges, but also by the audience. Their input would help determine who would take home the $500 first-place prize.

Kimberly Guilford, 43, is the K-12 vocal teacher for the Sturgeon school district. Guilford views performing as a way for her to get a better perspective on her students when they have to perform. She said she's been singing all her life. Guilford was the fourth-place winner, taking home the $100 prize.

Brittany Marso, 18, won the audience over at the end of the show with her tap dance routine. Marso has been dancing for 15 years. Her skilled performance won her the third-place prize of $200.

"I love performing, putting a smile on people's faces and giving people a good time while they're watching," Marso said.

A 17-year-old violinist, Tamara Kitchen, was very popular with the audience. Kitchen said she has been playing the violin for seven years, and loves to perform. She said that she is very dedicated to her music and works very hard to be the best she can. On Saturday afternoon, her hard work paid off and Kitchen took home the second-place prize of $300.

When asked what she loves most about performing, Kitchen said, "The feeling I get when I'm done. I like sharing my music and giving people the joy that it gives me. Music is a pretty big part of my life."

Kitchen would not be the last act to get the audience's attention. Kelley Marchbanks, 29, gave a fun and energetic performance of the song "The Wizard and I" from the musical "Wicked." Marchbanks said that she chose the song because it allows her to stretch her vocal range and still have a lot of fun on stage. Marchbanks' energetic performance won her the first-place prize of $500.

"My whole family comes," Marchbanks said. "My daughter is into performing, as is my husband."

Saturday's talent show was the second of three that will be featured in the fair. The final talent show, involving bands, is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday.