Hickory R
otary Club has announced dates for its 2013 musical fundraiser, “ROTARIAN IDOL”. The event will be held Saturday, March 16, at 7 pm in PE Monroe Auditorium on the campus of Lenoir-Rhyne University. Auditions will be held at The SALT Block Auditorium January 31, 6-8 pm and February 2, 2-4 pm. There is no limit to age or place of residence, but professional singers will not be allowed to audition. A $5 fee is required. 100% of the money raised will be used to benefit educational needs throughout Catawba County. Use this link to the main Rotarian Idol Page for continuous updates.
Tickets ($20) may be purchased and picked up at the following locations:
| Allen Finley Advertising | 42 3rd Street NW (Downtown) | 828-324-6700 |
| Hickory Community Theater | 30 3rd Street NW (Downtown) | 828-327-3855 |
| Office Furniture USA | 1427 2nd Street NW (Viewmont HWY 127) | 828-345-6200 |
Tickets may also be purchased on-line (for will-call pick up the night of the show) using the BUY TICKETS NOW icon at left. The 2013 Audition Application may be downloaded using this link. Also Contestant Rules, Regulations and Information may be downloaded using this link.
On-Line Voting for Audience Favorite
Rotarian Idol 2013 will once again allow the audience to vote for their favorite contestant. This year, not only may you vote at the show, you may also vote on-line. A website site has been established for each contestant. Family, friends and neighbors may wish to use this site to cast their Audience favorite vote before the show. The cutoff date for on-line voting is 11:59 PM Friday, March 15, 2013. The 2013 Rotarian Idol Audience favorite will receive a cash prize of $500.
Use the Icon Link Below to Vote On-Line
This year’s title Sponsor will be Lenoir-Rhyne University, and the successful fundraiser will be co-chaired by Rotarians John Rambo and Sandi Fotheringham; Ticket Sales will be chaired by John Rambo; Advertising Sales chair will be Past-President Steve Mull. Past-President Allen Finley will chair Major Sponsors. Other committee members: Bruce Bumbarger, David Myers, Guy Guarino, Jennifer Clark, John Olson, Jonathan Waters, Lamar Mitchell, Lynn Loehr, Kathy Greathouse, Neill McGeachy, Mick Berry and Rosemary Cheek.
“Education is very important to our club, and has been for decades”, “ROTARIAN IDOL” committee member Lamar Mitchell said. Rambo expects this year’s auction to raise at least $60,000. In past years the Hickory Rotary Club has raised nearly $1 Million through live TV and silent auctions. To reach this goal, the Rotary Club will sell 1,450 tickets at $20 each. Advertising for the Show Program will be sold in $500 (full-page), $250 (half-page) and $150 (quarter-page) increments.
A total of 20 contestants will be chosen to compete for $2,500 First Place; $1,000 Second Place; and $500 Audience Favorite prizes, and several door prizes will be given away. The contestants will be judged by a panel of three music industry professionals. A new feature has been added to the event this year: The public will also be able to vote on-line for their favorite contestant.
“ROTARIAN IDOL” replaces the popular “Education Alive” television auction, which the Rotary Club used to raise funds for education for 5 years. Students continue to utilize monies raised from the successful event.
“It’s exciting to know that we’ve already made a $150,000 impact on education for everyone in the county”, Finley said.
For more information, visit the Hickory Rotary Club Rotarian Idol Page on this website or, call John Rambo, Chair at 327-3855 x 113 or e-mail john@hickorytheatre.org. Allen Finley at 324-6700, or email allen@finleyadvertising.com.
Photo caption – 2012 winners, left to right: Jimmy Cooper, Second Place $1500;Cristy White, First Place $2500; Amanda Harren, Audience Favorite; Matt Taylor, Honorable Mention.
