By Angela Brown

Pride of the Northwest talent competition sees plenty of winners

Mar 26, 2018 | 8:00 AM

It was a big night for the region’s musical talent Saturday when the winners were selected in the Pride of the Northwest Amateur Talent Competition put on by the Gold Eagle Casino in North Battleford.

Now in its 18th year, the event was packed with fans taking in the final show, which featured 12 male and 12 female vocalists vying for the top five spots, as well as competitors in the Red River jigging competition. A total of $10,000 was given out in cash prize awards during the evening. Colton Mike, who also competed last year, took home top spot in the male vocalist category. The 25-year-old hails from Duck Lake, Saskatchewan.

“It’s phenomenal. It feels great,” Mike said after the event. “I’m going to keep on with the music, for sure. I’m happy. All my hard work is paying off.”

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Janelle George, from Big Island Lake Cree Nation, picked up the award for the best female vocalist. 

“I feel so happy right now. I didn’t expect to win first place,” the 24-year-old said. “I’ve been singing since I was 10 years old. I try to sing every day. I’m writing my own music right now; I want to succeed in the music industry.”

Four local area judges had the daunting task of selecting the top five winners in each category. Gold Eagle Casino General Manager Kelly Atcheynum said judges looked for the vocalists’ style, presence, how they mastered the songs they selected to perform, and their interactions with the audience.

The participants performed songs from a variety of musical genres, ranging from rock to old-time country music, and came from all over the region to take part.

“We always get a full house every year we do this,” Atcheynum said.   

Shane Fluney, entertainment coordinator for Gold Eagle Casino, said almost 700 people took in the show.

“We almost broke attendance records. We had a great turnout,” he said. “We just couldn’t be any more pleased with what happened this evening. The talent was amazing. All the scores were really, really close. It was a great night.”

The event started with about 60 competitors who auditioned in the preliminary competitions that started in February. The top competitors took part in the final competitions Saturday.

Here are all the big winners of the night:

Best male vocalists: Colton Mike – first, Kiefer Paul – second, Donny Corrigal – third, Tallyn Campbell – fourth, and Cris Tootoosis – fifth. 

Best female vocalists: Janelle George – first, Lovina Tootoosis – second, Ashley Kemp – third, Bianca St. Martin – fourth, and Bernadette Wolfe – fifth. 

Red River jigging competition (men’s category): Levi Highway – first, Louis Prosper – second, Lyle Donald – third, Timothy Linklater – fourth, and Grey Isbister – fifth. 

Red River jigging competition (women’s category): Courtney Anaquod – first, Ashla Michel – second, Elizabeth L’Hirodelle – third, Neonna Sasakamoose – fourth, and Summer Michel – fifth.

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW