There were plenty of activities to keep people busy on Canada Day, but perhaps one of the most fun and, and perhaps overlooked, was the second-annual Grandstand Jam in Emo.
Over 200 adults and 50 children filed into the Emo Speedway grandstand to sample the talents of 15 young people from across Rainy River District and International Falls. The jam featured performers in two age categories all vying for a shot at getting their talent recorded for future reference, and in this case, the recording session will be almost an ensemble.
The four judges—Emo Reeve Russ Fortier, Tony Marinaro of Emo, Alyson Booth of Fort Frances and Donna Frederickson of International Falls—found it necessary to vote a tie for second place in each category, with the result that eight young people will be laying down tracks with Inside Out Productions in Fort Frances later this year.
“The way it goes is the first-place winners get to record two songs, while second and third do one,” explained event organizer Candy Greengrass. “This year, we have eight singers.”
The jam consisted of two age categories—8-13 and 14-19. Nine hopefuls signed up for the junior category and six for the seniors. Each performer sang one song, accompanied by Fort Frances-base trio, Thinking of Pinky. The selections ran the gamut from contemporary pop to classic country and when it was over, Cara Coran of Fort Frances took the senior honours for her presentation of the Nancy Sinatra hit, “These Boots are Made for Walkin’” while nine-year-old Katelyn Shortreed topped all juniors with a rousing rendition of “Miss Independent.”
Newcomer Anthony Labbe, of Emo, tied with last year’s winner Sarah Hebert for second place in the senior category while Shauna McInery of Rainy River took third.
Chelsea Carlson of Fort Frances tied with Elysia Huitikka of Fort Frances for second while eight-year-old Jaryd Elias of Emo took third place.
The quality of talent was as diverse as the song selections. Some, like Hebert, McInery and Coran showed the polish of seasoned pros while others found themselves encumbered to some degree with an attack of nerves.
One who did not was Shortreed, who appeared completely relaxed and in complete control, while Labbe—who was appearing on-stage for the first time —had the carefree demeanor of someone who feels he has nothing to lose.
On this night, all the performers were winners, although organizers were somewhat disappointed at the turnout. Greengrass said she had hoped to see at least 500 people, but considering the timing of the event, things went about as well as could be expected. Even the weather co-operated.
“Last year, we held it during the (Emo) fall fair and it was so wet and windy, we almost wanted to call it off,” Greengrass recalled.
“This time, we all the activities in Fort Frances, it was difficult to get as many people as we would have liked.”
Greengrass says plans are in the works to find a new, permanent date for the Jam so it does not conflict with other events in the district.
“Hopefully, we can get a weekend when there’s nothing else going on,” she said. “Friday night would be best,” she suggested.
The Grandstand Jam was sponsored by the Rainy River District Agricultural Society, who will be releasing the CD of this year’s winners. Proceeds from the sale of the disk will be used to sponsor next year’s event.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
