'THERE WAS A LOT OF TALENT TODAY'

Friday's amateur talent contest preliminaries at the Jefferson County Fair gave approximately 25 north country residents ages 5 and older a chance to show off their talents in categories from vocal to tap to lyrical dance.

"I remembered all the words; that's always a big thing," said Ronald E. Sinclair, Theresa. "And I came in at the right time. If you do those two things and have very few sour notes, I think it's a success."

Mr. Sinclair, dressed in a standard white Elvis outfit, performed the hit "Only Fools Rush In" by Elvis Presley in the 13-and-older age group. He is the pastor of Oxbow Presbyterian Church and had the costume left over from a talent show his church put on the night before.

"There was a lot of talent today," said John J. Pepe, Adams Center. "A lot of talent."

Mr. Pepe performed the spiritual song "Just a Closer Walk With Thee," which also is the title of the second album he has made.

"It's always been one of my favorite songs," he said. "I think it went very well."

Mr. Pepe frequently performs at coffeehouses and churches and also has sung in the fair's karaoke contest the past few years. This year, he decided to enter the talent contest as well.

"I never get hurt or discouraged," he said. "I keep coming back for more."

Mr. Pepe's performance suffered a minor setback when his backup CD stopped partway through and had to be restarted.

Another pair, Jennifer L. Williams, Calcium, and Victoria M. Skaggs, Fort Drum, encountered a small difficulty.

Mrs. Skaggs sang "Things That Never Die" while Mrs. Williams accompanied her on keyboard, but it turned out Mrs. Williams didn't have all of the pages to her music, so Mrs. Skaggs had to sing the second half of the song a cappella.

"It wasn't exactly how we planned," Mrs. Skaggs said.

"But that happens," Mrs. Williams said.

Mrs. Williams originally had hoped her daughter, Sarah R., 10, would perform the song, but she ended up playing "The Entertainer" on the piano instead.

Sarah was the only one in the 5-through-12 age group to perform in the instrumental solo category and won first place.

First-place winners in each category received a ribbon and a check for $7.50; second place received a ribbon and a check for $5 and third place received a ribbon and a check for $2.50.

Sarah admitted she's nervous about the finals today.

"There's going to be more people at the same time," she said.

All of the acts, regardless of age or category, will perform again today in a final competition. Three performers will be selected as overall winners. First place will receive $250, second place $150 and third place $100.

The fair is able to send 25 members from each age group to the New York State Fair if they choose to go. That means everyone who participated Friday has the option to go.

The finals will be at 6 p.m. today in the Suburban Energy Entertainment Arena.

Friday night was also the fair's first-ever "Idol" contest. At the beginning of the show, all audience members received a ticket that they could put into a ballot box for their favorite contestant at the end of the show. The final results were based 50 percent on a panel of three judges with musical backgrounds and 50 percent on the audience votes. Contestants were all 18 or older.

Jessica L. Pierce, 23, Dexter, won the "Idol" contest singing "This Is Me You're Talking To" by Trisha Yearwood. She was awarded $150; second place won $100 and third place won $50.

"We're calling it a huge success," fair President Robert D. Simpson said.

Today is Military Recognition Day at the fair. For those with a military ID, gate admission will be free and there will be a pay-one-price deal for $19. Some of today's events include the classic car display at 10 a.m., a cow chip-throwing contest and a Guitar Hero contest at 2 p.m. and youth and adult baking contests beginning at 4 p.m. The amateur boxing night, Showdown III, will begin at 6 p.m. at the grandstand. Tickets today are $20 for reserved seating and $14 for general admission.