'Hometown Idol' to Return on May 4; Cash and Prizes Will Be on the Line

Excitement is mounting as the Hamilton-Wenham Rotary Club’s Hometown Idol contest has been scheduled to take place on Wednesday, May 4 at 7 p.m. at the Ferrini Dramatics Center at .

Contestants of all ages will vie for trophies, a cash prize and the honor of being named Hamilton-Wenham’s own “Hometown Idol.” Community members are urged to attend and support their local musicians.

For the second year, “Blue Streak Band” will open the show; the band consists of Chief Ken Walsh, Essex Police Chief Peter Silva, Tyngsboro Police Chief Bill Mulligan and Groveland Police Sergeant Dwight McDonald. “BlueStreak” will be performing cover songs by Garth Brooks and Bon Jovi.

Applications are available at all of the schools, the , , , the , as well as on Hamilton-Wenham Rotary’s website. Applications are due by April 30.

Awards will be presented to the top talent in the areas of vocal solo, vocal ensemble, instrumental solo, instrumental ensemble, dance and other.

The age categories are Youth: 6 to 12-years-old; Teen: 13 to 18-years-old and Adult: 19 and up.

In addition to prizes for each category and age group, one winner will receive a cash award as well as a trophy and will be declared the “2011 Hometown Idol.”

A panel of judges, including vocalists Karen Carr, Diane Guerette, and , will help the audience decide the winner. 

Shailor currently performs as lead vocalist for the group in which he founded, “Final Approach.” Shailor is Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School alumni and has also performed at police ceremonies in the Commonwealth.

Guerette is a 1988 Berklee College of Music singer-songwriter graduate who has worked with Boston jingle houses and various North Shore cover bands.

Carr is the lead vocalist for the Boston-based group “Beantown” and teaches at Berklee College of Music. Among her many performance experiences is an appearance at the 2006 Super Bowl, where she shared the stage with Earth, Wind and Fire, Alicia Keys and Lionel Richie.

Community members are encouraged to mark May 4 on their calendar to support their favorite performer as well as the Hamilton-Wenham Rotary Club. The local Rotary Club supports local community projects such as the Veterans’ Memorial, youth exchange, dictionaries for third graders and college scholarships and goes as far as engaging in international efforts such as curing polio, the Rotoplast Clinics and helping villages gain a clean water supply. The Hamilton-Wenham Rotary Club is part of an international organization that strives to serve their communities, their countries and the world.

Tickets may be purchased from Rotary Club members in advance at the door at Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School for $10 per person, $7 for children and seniors or a $25 family rate.