Kershaw County's Got Talent Winners Announced! | Arts & Culture

Camden, SC—October 4, 2012—After three nights of auditions where preliminary judges saw nearly 40 total contestants, 16 finalists performed in the live finale. Both Youth and Adult winners were chosen during the evening. Anna Ferris of Camden was declared the winner of the Youth Category with runner up being Dorca Madrid; the Adult category was won by alternative acoustic rock band Lost in the Middle comprised of Richard Strater and Stephanie Hornsby of Lugoff. Runner up in the Adult category was Audrey Belton. The third  Kershaw County’s Got Talent was sponsored by McDonald’s of Camden/Sensor Entrprises and produced by the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County (FAC) on Saturday, September 15 in the Wood Auditoirum. The event was emceed by KOOL 102.7/STARTIME1590's Tyler Cupp.

• About the Winners

Anna Ferris is a recent transplant to Camden. Hailing from Ohio, Anna was a part of a bluegrass band there and was very excited to be a part of Kershaw County’s Got Talent. Anna played the guitar and sang “Suds in the Bucket.” Anna was recently cast in the upcoming FAC/Columbia Children’s Theatre’s Youth Production of Fame Jr. which will be held in November.

Lost in the Middle (Richard Strater and Stephanie Hornsby) have recently begun touring the East Coast and have a CD coming out in October. Richard is a past participant of the Arts Arising Program for gifted and talented children at the FAC. Lost in the Middle performed an original song on acoustic guitars.

Finalists in each category were also named that evening. Second runner up in the Youth category was Dorca Madrid, a 13-year-old from Cassatt. Dorca sang Christina Agulera’s “Beautiful.” The Adult runner-up was 20-year-old Audrey Belton from Camden who sang “You Invite Me In.”

 “We had a good turnout this year. We moved the event to early fall and divided the categories into Youth, ages 6 to 15 and Adult, ages 16 and up,” said Jane Peterson, Director of Marketing for the FAC. “It seemed more fair to everyone and we were very pleased with the production this year.”

Nine youth and seven adults vied for the top prize which included cash, ticket packets from the FAC, and a Belk gift card. Runners’ up received a gift certificate from Chili’s and tickets to several upcoming FAC productions. All will have the opportunity to perform at an FAC event this season. The finale judges were Joy Claussen Scully, a Camden resident and professional actress best known as the Aim toothpaste spokesperson for 10 years, and who has performed in multiple leading roles on Broadway; Charlie Peterson, owner of Harvest Talent, Inc. in Columbia, an actor's agency; and Bill Roberson, professional actor who has been seen in such films as Forrest Gump and who has worked with such actors as Mel Gibson, Robin Williams, Sidney Poitier, and George Clooney.

For more information or to purchase tickets for all FAC events call 803-425-7676, extension 300, or visit the FAC website at www.fineartscenter.org.  The Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County is located at 810 Lyttleton Street in Camden. Office hours are Monday through Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Thursday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

The Fine Arts Center is funded in part by the Frederick S. Upton Foundation and the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding provided by the City of Camden, Kershaw County, and BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina along with donations from businesses and individuals.