Eleven talented kids will be giving it their all starting at 6:30 p.m. tonight on the main stage under the big tent at the Sorting Gap Marina in Fort Frances, marking the debut of a new iteration of the former “Kiddie Quest” event.
The showcase for kids aged 12 and under is the junior companion to the annual Quest for the Best talent competition held during the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship, which will be held on Friday, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the big tent.
Dubbed Kiddie Quest until it was discontinued in the late 2000s, Kids Quest for the Best (or simply “Kids Quest” as it’s been informally dubbed by organizers) revives the tradition, minus the competitive element. Instead, the show now aims to let children display their skills in a talent show-style environment.
“We’re just trying to get it up and running again, and there’s no competition this year,” Chamber of Commerce Director Heather Johnson said.
With registration deadlines now having passed, 11 children plan on participating and showing their stuff, whatever their preferred style of music may be.
“The band has had to learn some Taylor Swift songs,” Johnson said.
After each has had their time to shine, they’ll be taking the stage together in a final group performance of the song “Happy” by Pharrell Williams.
According to Johnson, each of the children performing will receive a participation award.
“The businesses around town have all donated gift certificates,” Johnson said. “They are all going to get a $100 gift certificate. We’ll just pull them out of a hat. Some will have two cards totalling $100, some will have a single $100 card; it just depends on what the business has done. Some of them have written really nice words of encouragement, so it’s nice to see.”
The event is being funded by various sponsors, with $5,000 from the Harbourage Restaurant, $4,000 from the Moffat Family Fund, $2,500 from Studio 6 and $3,000 from Coeur Mining, for a total of $14,500 towards band, setup and operating costs.
Kids Quest is scheduled to start tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Sorting Gap Marina under the big tent. General admission is $10, with VIP tickets available for $20.
