HOULTON — Thirteen singing stars from Aroostook County, Maine, and Carleton County, New Brunswick, will light up the stage at the Houlton High School Auditorium on Saturday evening, when contestants will vie for votes in order to advance to the “Northern Star” finale. Formerly named “Aroostook Idol”, the Houlton showdown is the first of three regional shows to find the top vocalist, including a search for cross-border talent. In addition to going international, “Northern Star” organizers have also changed the voting process to include a combination of judges’ votes and audience participation to select the top three performers from each region. The audience will vote for their favorites, as had become the “Aroostook Idol” tradition, however, with a new “Northern Star” twist, the top two audience picks will move forward to the finale. A third wild-card pick will be selected by the judges.
Nine finalists, three from each region, will perform at the Sunday, Feb. 28 finale in Caribou, when the new, international “Northern Star” will be determined. Competitors registered to perform in Saturday’s regional show in Houlton range in ages from 13 to 57 and include three Canadian participants. There are eight male singers and five female singers.
The second regional show, to be held Friday, Feb. 12, at 7 p.m. at Presque Isle Middle School, is open to residents of central Aroostook and Victoria County, New Brunswick. Auditions are scheduled for Feb. 4, in the central region because of numerous responses to the call-for-talent. Nearly 30 applications have been received ranging from age 12 to 69, including four Canadian participants, seven male and 20 female singers.
The final regional show will take place Friday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. at the University of Maine at Fort Kent’s Fox Auditorium. It is open to residents of the St. John Valley and Madawaska County, N.B. Approximately 10 singers have pre-registered for this regional performance.
Serving on the judging panel for all events, and back by popular demand, are: Scott Voisine, judge, critic, and comedian from Fort Kent, along with former Aroostook Idol winners Annie Charles (2007) of Limestone, and Samantha Boutot (2006) of Fort Kent.
Admission to each regional production is $8 per person and admission to the finale will be $10. Tickets are now on sale at all Aroostook County Key Bank branches. All proceeds from funds raised will go directly to the United Way of Aroostook’s annual campaign.
Since the United Way of Aroostook launched the original “Aroostook Idol” fundraiser, it has drawn more than 150 competitors to the stage. It also has raised more than $150,000 to benefit agencies funded by the United Way in Aroostook County.
For more information on the “Northern Star” competition, contact the United Way of Aroostook at 207-764-5197.