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The South Central Fair Association will host the fourth annual “South Central Fair Idol” contest during Fair Week this year. Contestants will compete for the title of the “2023 South Central Fair Idol” on Tuesday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m. at the fireground’s grandstand.

Rehearsals for the “South Central Fair Idol” competition are set for Sunday, Oct. 8, in the Banquet Room at the Estes Center in Chase City from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. The rehearsal is the first step in the contest that will determine this year’s winner.

Contestants can register and pay their entrance fee in person on the day of rehearsals, and they can find the online link to the application and view the requirements at https://www.facebook.com/SouthCentralFairChaseCity. Rehearsals will only be open to the contestants and their families. Attending rehearsals is a requirement as this is the time for the contestants to practice their musical selections and make their final choice of songs for the Emcee.

Contestants must be prepared to sing two songs of their choice that are family appropriate, approved by the committee, and no longer than four minutes in length. The participants must provide their own musical accompaniment or sing acapella. The contestants can either bring their musical format to the rehearsal or email their song choices before Monday, Oct. 2, to tina.morgan@mecklenburgva.com.

Participants will be judged by a panel of three judges on their voice quality, technique, dynamics and stage presentation. All age groups are welcome to enter the contest, as the competition is open to individual singers or singing groups.

The entry fee is $20 for individual singers and $25 for singing groups. A business or organization may sponsor the contestants to help defray the entry fee expense. The sponsor will be recognized when the contestant is introduced to the audience during the competition.

Prior to the announcement of the judges’ decisions of the Idol winners, one contestant will receive the covenant and most distinguished honor of being selected by the audience for the prestigious “People’s Choice” trophy. The audience will decide which contestant will receive this award by purchasing a $1 vote for the contestant of their choice. The contestant with the most votes will be declared the winner.

Monetary awards for the Idol winners will be given in the amount of $300 for the newly crowned “2023 South Central Fair Idol” winner, $200 for the second runner-up, and $100 for the third runner-up. In addition to the cash rewards, the winners will be presented with a trophy recognizing their individual accomplishments.

Only the contestants who attend the rehearsal will be given a free pass into the fairgrounds. All guests accompanying the contestant must pay the admission fee to the fairgrounds.

The public is encouraged to come and support the contestants during the Idol competition and to also vote for their favorite contestant. A particular segment of the evening will be the performance by the “2022 South Central Fair Idol” winner, Jaquan Brooks, from South Hill.

Additional questions can be submitted by email to dottie.bratton@gmail.com.