The Marion County Fair talent show winners are 17-year-old SCHS senior Emma Turner in the 15- to 21-year-old age bracket and 9-year-old Franklin Park Middle School student Annistyn Walsh in the 14 and younger category.
The judges selected them in a tough competition in both age brackets.
Turner sang a worship song “Peace Be Still” by Hope Darst which she called a personal declaration of faith, surrender, and spiritual warfare against fear, anxiety, and doubt.
“I’ve been singing my whole life,” Turner said. “I don’t remember a time where I wasn’t… I’ve always sung in class and they’ve had to tell me to stop. I started in band in fourth grade, started in choir in sixth grade, and I’ve just been continuing to do that. I’ve been in theater since my freshman year and been in every show I could. I’m in the community theater now doing The Spitfire Grill.”
Others in the senior competition were singers Briar Tate and Mekhi Moore.
Walsh performed a musical theater dance ‘Born to Entertain’.
“We chose it because it was musical theater, and it was just a happy song for me to dance to,” Walsh said. “Every time they turned it on, I just started dancing to it.
Walsh is a student at Studio 50 and has been dancing the past three years. She is national champion of the SOAR dance competition in Chicago.
Others performing were Leger Cullins-Sears as a Michael Jackson impersonator and singer Mahlaya Wasion.
Both first place winners won $100 cash from WJBD/WSIQ and advance to the statewide competition at the Illinois Fair Association convention in January.
Annistyn Walsh dancing at the Marion County Fair Talent Show. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
