Champaign County’s got talent -

The stars of tomorrow took the stage Monday night at the Champaign County Fair. Area youth treated an enthusiastic crowd to nearly two hours of song and dance. US 105.9 radio personality Diane Ducy was on hand to serve as the Master of Ceremonies for the evening, assisted by the 2015 Miss Champaign County Fair Queen Haley Duden.

The event was split into Junior and Senior categories. Jan Gallo, of Gallo Dance in St. Joseph, had six of her students participate in the event.They had been preparing since September. “We love competing in this talent show,” she said. “We love representing Champaign County.” 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place awards were given in each category, and raffle prizes, including televisions and cash, were given away by Ducey and Duden periodically between acts.

While the event went smoothly and was very well attended, two housekeeping items seemed to interfere with making the evening a perfect one. To begin with, the show was held in the Grandstands. And while a portion of the fencing was pulled aside seemingly in order for the event judges to get a good view, the rest of the audience had to watch the performances through chain link. Compounding this issue was a lack of stage lighting. In total, there were eight small, static green lights focused on the performers, with only seven of them working. Even if they had all been powered up, there wasn’t near enough luminance once the sun began to set. Hopefully these things can change for the better next year.

Overall, the talent show was a hit, thanks to the hard work and effort put forth by the performers. Don’t be surprised to see one or more of these acts go on to great things in the future! A well-deserved round of applause goes out to all.

US 105.9’s Diane Ducy