Participant Liezl McLeod sings a Whitney Houston number during Saturday's event - the second night of the preliminary competition. (Angela Brown/battlefords NOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

Key To Success

Pride of the Northwest competition kicks off in Battlefords

Feb 23, 2020 | 1:48 PM

They came with their best song and hopefully their best chops, aiming for a chance to be selected as one of the finalists in the Gold Eagle Casino’s Pride of the Northwest MMXX.

A succession of performers took turns singing their heart out on the Event Centre stage Saturday in the annual amateur talent competition.

Some of the participants in the vocalist competition came from the Battlefords, Cut Knife and the Meadow Lake area as well as Regina.

Liezl McLeod from Lloydminster came with her mother who was visiting from the Philippines to show her support. For McLeod’s second year taking part in the competition, she performed Whitney Houston song “I have nothing.”

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While she said she felt a little jittery initially she soon reached her stride.

“Whenever I go up on stage I am always nervous at first,” McLeod said. “But once I start singing … I just feel the song.”

McLeod took lessons while growing up in the Philippines and enjoys singing whenever there is an opportunity.

“I always sing the songs of the divas – Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Celine Dion,” she said.

The judging for the preliminaries for the event that can net the top winner a professional recording studio session were held Friday and Saturday. The final judging will take place March 21.

The top finalist will receive $4,000 in addition to their $1,000 gift certificate for a recording session, the second place winner will receive $2,000, and the third place recipient will take home $1,500. In total $15,000 in prizes will be awarded to the best vocalists and Red River Jigging winners. A total of 24 vocalist contestants will perform at the finals – the top 20 contestants from the preliminaries and four Wild Card spots chosen through online voting.

When the finalists take to the stage for the final competition they will be supported by a live band.

This marks the 20th year of the Pride of the Northwest.

Cassandra Bear, a marketing coordinator at Gold Eagle Casino, said with the prize winnings now up to $15,000 to celebrate the anniversary year, is a particularly good opportunity for those vying for the rewards as well as the top prize of a professional recording session. She said the competition is “very exciting for everybody.”

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW