National Anthem tryouts for Corbin Bleu concert being held during Clay County Fair

SPENCER, IOWA- Friday, Sept. 12, National Anthem tryouts for area high school students will be held in the 4-H Auditorium during the Clay County Fair. The winner of the competition will perform the National Anthem before the Corbin Bleu and Drew Seeley concert on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 7:30 p.m.

The contest will be open to high school students attending Sioux Central, Spencer, Clay Central, Milford/Okoboji, Spirit Lake, Graettinger/Terrill, and Ruthven/Ayrshire High Schools. Registration for the event begins at 11 a.m. on Friday and last until 12:15 p.m. with auditions starting at 12:30 p.m. Contestant entries will cap at 25 and no other entries will be allowed after that number is reached. The winner will be announced at 3:30 p.m. in the 4-H Auditorium.

Along with the National Anthem competition, other presentations and entertainment are scheduled to appear in the 4-H Auditorium during the fair. The building will be host to events beginning Monday, Sept. 8 and lasting until Friday, Sept. 12.

Presentations kick-off on Veterans Day, Monday, Sept. 8, with Chef Daniel Menough of Kazarelli’s at Miller’s Bay. Chef Menough will begin at 10 a.m. and present “Catch the Flavor”. Holly Kellogg of Parker Historical Museum will follow at 12:30 with her presentation called “War and Its Influences”. At 2 p.m. Joan Waller will take the stage and present “Salute to Old Glory – Your American Flag”. Waller is the Director of Clay County Veteran’s Affairs. Accompanying her during the presentation will be Sergeant Major Bradley A. Kasal of the United States Marine Corp. Sergeant Major Kasal will speak of his experience while serving in Iraq where he earned a Navy Cross for heroism. Things will wrap-up with entertainment by the Impulse Dance Academy Dancers at 4 p.m. instructed by Kenzie Mosher.

Tuesday, Sept. 9, Executive Chef Josh Overbeck of the Spencer Golf and County Club will present “Hole in One Cooking” at 10 a.m. At 12:30 p.m., Bev Rutter will talk on “The Prairie Flower”, followed up by Beth and Ross Brockshus presenting “Take a Vacation in your Own Backyard” at 2 p.m. At 4 p.m. Jerry Roberts, Darrell Stave and Karl Brandt of the Homestretch Band will perform their easy listening and country music.

Cooking presentations begin again at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 10 with Chefs Yip and Bea Lovan of Chinese Express in the Spencer Hy-Vee. The Lovan’s will present on “Cooking Hy-Vee Chinese”. At 12:30 p.m. Tori Rasmussen will present “Design it with Tori”. 2 p.m. brings Craig Cretsinger, Disability Navigator of Goodwill Industries presenting “Let’s Talk Shop”. Entertainment at 4 p.m. will be with Deb Jepson, flutist, and Elina Ozolins, pianist, both music instructors at Spencer Elementary.

Senior Day at the fair, Thursday, Sept. 11, will bring Chef Ben Macmillan of Mineral City Mill and Grill at the lakes. Chef Macmillan will present “Home of the World Famous Pasta” at 10 a.m. in the 4-H Auditorium. At 12:30 p.m. Michelle Origer or Pat McGee with Cardio Plus will present “Exercise for Everyone”. Kevin Robinson will share on “Common Cents Coaching” and will discuss how to overcoming the obstacles of living a healthy lifestyle at 2 p.m. Presentations will wrap up for the day at 4 p.m. with a sing-a-long for kids and the young-at-heart with Wendy Van Tassell presenting “A Pocketful of Animals, Sun and Fun!”

Friday, Sept. 12, Kid’s Day at the fair, will mark the last day of presentations in the 4-H Auditorium. They will start at 10 a.m. with presenter Ethan Batschelet doing “Batschstein Salsa”. At 11 a.m., registration will begin for the National Anthem singing tryout for the Corbin Bleu concert open to area high school students. Registration will last until 12:15 p.m. and tryouts will begin at 12:30 p.m. At 3:30 p.m. the winner will be announced in the 4-H Auditorium. Following that event will be the entertainment of vocalist Bob Pettit, recent inductee into the 2008 Iowa Rock n’ Roll Music Association Hall of Fame.

Any questions regarding the schedule for the 4-H Auditorium can be directed to Kaye Price, Director of the 4-H Auditorium, at 712-262-5935.

The 2008 Clay County Fair runs Sept. 6-14 in Spencer, IA.