Staff
International Falls resident Dr. Kimmie Ondo hit all the right notes Friday night to earn the grand prize during the annual “Quest for the Best” singing competition under the big tent at the Sorting Gap Marina.
“I’m still shocked—it feels amazing,” Dr. Ondo enthused after being awarded the top prize.
“I came into this thinking there’s so many talented people in this town, I’m in it for the fun,” she recalled.
“So this was a shock.”
Local singer/songwriter Maverick Judson, one of the three judges, noted Dr. Ondo stood out with her ability to captivate the crowd.
“She just seemed to know exactly what the crowd wanted,” he remarked.
“She had a unique way of grabbing our attention right from the hop.”
A total of 20 contestants sang for the trio of judges and a packed crowd attending the event, which once again was organized by the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce and held in conjunction with the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship.
The singers were divided into two sets of 10 performers, with a half-time show in between.
Once all the contestants sang their songs, a winner for each set was named—who then hit the stage for a “Battle Song” to determine the champion.
“Quest” veteran Dylan Ossachuk earned a spot in the final with his rendition of Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive.”
“Can’t go wrong with Bon Jovi,” Ossachuk told the crowd before hitting the first chord on his guitar.
“Dylan has always stood out to me as a dynamite performer,” Judson said.
“Every year he impresses me more and more.
“If I was competing I would be very intimidated by his strong voice and wicked guitar playing,” Judson added.
In the second set, Dr. Ondo danced into the final with her cover of “Proud Mary” by Tina Turner.
Dr. Ondo said she chose the song to perform after discussing it with her father.
“I was talking with him—he’s been a huge supporter of my singing over the years,” she explained.
“I’ve never done this type of music before.”
“He said, ‘Sing Tina Turner, you love Tina Turner,’ so he helped me pick out the song,” Dr. Ondo added.
“And the rest is history.”
The contestants were told ahead of time that the “Battle Song” would be Loverboy’s hit, “The Kid Is Hot Tonite,” though Dr. Ondo admitted she did not spend much time rehearsing the tune.
“I focused more on my first song,” she explained.
“I really didn’t think I was going to go to any ‘battle,’” she conceded. “I practised it two times at home and two minutes with the band earlier [on Friday].
“When I found out I was going to be ‘battling,’ I’m like—well, it’s so much more fun.”
