Karaoke singers prove crowd-pleasers during finale at fair
Asher Dix, 9, of Albion wins title with his mother in the top 5
Photos by Tom Rivers
KNOWLESVILLE – Asher Dix (left), 9, of Albion gave a high-energy performance on Thursday night at the karaoke finals, and won first place and a $500 prize. Asher sang “I Want You Back” by the Jackson 5. He had the crowd cheering with his spin moves, exclamation points with his hands, and high-pitched notes.
His mother Brittany Dix (right) sang “Looking Out” by Brandi Carlile and won fourth place and $75. Brittany said her children all enjoy singing. Asher made his karaoke public debut on Monday and embraced the role as a showman.
Gideon Pask of Barre sings “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash. Gideon worked the stage and won second place for $250.
Olivia Manfredi (left) of Kendall won fifth place and $50 for her performance of “(If You’re Not in It For Love) I’m Outta Here” by Shania Twain. Manfredi, 31, has been performing in karaoke at the fair since she was a teen-ager, frequently placing in the top 5.
Tiana Mortensen, right, of Medina sings “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims. Mortensen, 33, works as the manager of the Dunkin’ Donuts in Medina. She said she hadn’t sung publicly for years until this week’s fair.
“It was a lot of fun,” she said about karaoke and seeing the audience’s enthusiastic reaction to her singing.
The competition is a popular event each night from the fair from Monday through Thursday. The top singers the first three nights advance to Thursday’s championship. Brad London serves as the deejay for the event.
Neil Samborski wore face paint while singing, “Monster Mash.” He was among 18 singers who advanced to Thursday nights finale.
Abby Pratt of Middleport sings “I’d Rather Be Me” from Mean Girls The Musical.
Madelyn Elliott (left) of Medina performs “Wide Open Spaces” by the Dixie Chicks. Colette Ruest sings “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus.
Phoebe Allen sings “At Last” by Etta James.
Frank “Boomer” Buell of Medina enjoyed interacting with the crowd while he performed “Slide” by the Goo Goo Dolls of Buffalo. Buell said he is from the Black Rock neighborhood of Buffalo and has long been a Goo Goo Dolls fan.
