Lauzon tops at ‘Walleyedol’

Kayla Lauzon has $500 more to add to her “saving for college” fund.
The 16-year-old Barwick resident earned the money by capturing the second-annual “Walleyedol” singing contest, which was held Friday and Saturday night at the Emo/La Vallee Community Centre in conjunction with the Emo Walleye Classic.
“It’s awesome,” Lauzon enthused Saturday night after her big win. “I was shaking in my boots.”
Six singers took to the stage Friday night in hopes of making it to the final three the following night.
Dorothy Leninger gave her rendition of Trisha Yearwood’s “How do I Live?” while Christine Badiuk performed “Guys Do it All the Time” as recorded by Mindy McCready.
Trisha Wilson sang Alannah Myles’ “Black Velvet,” Lauzon belted out the Simon and Garfunkel classic “Bridge over Troubled Water,” and Sandra Allan followed with “Any Man of Mine” by Shania Twain.
Lisa McPherson rounded up the evening with the Dixie Chicks’ “Good-bye Earl.”
Judges Tony Bombay, Dave Ogilvie, Katherine Williams, and Joy Bragg then selected Wilson, Lauzon, and Allan as the three finalists.
Each sang another tune Saturday night for a large audience, which then voted by ballot to determine the winner.
Wilson took home $100 for finishing second while Allan pocketed $50 for taking third.
When Lauzon was deemed the 2006 “Walleyedol,” she sang her winning song—“Total Eclipse of the Heart”—again, just like “American Idol.”
“I don’t get nervous when I’m singing,” noted Lauzon, who has been performing since she was a youngster. “It’s when I’m done that I’m nervous.”
She said a good crowd, like the one at the Emo arena on Saturday night, always helps her get into the song.
“They’re inspirational [songs],” she added. “They’re powerful and they show off my voice well.”
Lauzon indicated “Total Eclipse of the Heart” is her favourite of the two songs she sang, which is why she saved it for last.
“It was cool,” she replied when asked what she thought of the competition. “With the different days, it was really like ‘American Idol.’”
Colleen Vennechenko, director of angler services for the EWC, noted several more competitors had entered last year’s inaugural “Walleyedol” and was surprised only six registered this year.
“I would have liked to see more,” she remarked. “But it went really well for the amount of singers we had.”
“It would have been cooler with more people,” echoed Lauzon. “It would have felt more challenging.”
Vennechenko hopes to get some feedback on the “Walleyedol” contest because she doesn’t know why there was minimal interest this year.
She speculated it could be because of the commitment of both Friday and Saturday night, which was difficult for some people. Or she thought perhaps it was the audience voting by ballot.
“I don’t know if that was a downfall,” Vennechenko said, adding there likely will be some changes made next year.
“I think there are a few improvements that could be made to make it more enjoyable for the participants,” she said. “And hopefully there will be more next year.”
All music for the competition was provided by Yowza Music Services.
In related news, Vennechenko noted the EWC went well overall. Besides the success of the weigh-ins, the raffle, dinners, and other activities also were highlights of the event.
“The raffle was nice,” she noted. “Lots of local people won, which was really good.”
“There was a variety of people from different places who won,” added raffle director Tami LeBlanc.
And although she wasn’t sure exactly how many tickets were sold, she was happy with how it went. “There were some good prizes,” LeBlanc stressed.
Roger Bristol of Stratton took home the top prize of a boat, motor, and trailer package courtesy of Tompkins Hardware and Yamaha Motor Canada—a total retail value of $21,275.
Lowell Zitsloff won a high-definition, 32” wide-screen LCD TV courtesy of Home Satellite Systems while Loretta Barboni of Fort Frances landed a camping package.
There were 10 prizes in total, including a one-day, catch-and-release fly-in fishing trip for four, a 10 cu. ft. freezer and frozen food package, a self-propelled mower, and a digital camera.
Vennechenko added the dinners—a fish fry by the Crossroads community rink committee, a Calder women spaghetti supper, and a prime rib dinner served by the 4-H club—also were very successful.
“The prime rib dinner is always a good one,” said Vennechenko, noting only 300 tickets were available and it was sold out.
Children also enjoyed a colouring contest, face-painting, and activities on Saturday afternoon before the weigh-in.
And, of course, none of it would have been possible without the countless hours of work put in by the committee and volunteers.
“It gets a lot of people involved,” enthused Vennechenko. “It’s really nice to see.”