All Photos Courtesy of Rose Mary Cheek Photography
On March 12, 2016 a near capacity crowd at Lenoir Rhyne University’s P.E. Monroe auditorium greeted contestants competing in the Thursday Rotary Club of Hickory’s seventh annual Rotarian Idol fundraiser for local educational initiatives. Auditions in January and February narrowed the field of contestants to 20 finalists competing for $5,000 in total prize money. Saturday night’s finalists were: Serena Cain, Cristin Cartwright, Courtney Chay, James Franklin, Angela Freeman, Tad Fulbright, Lauren Hart, Krystal Heffinger, Josh Killian, Jason Lee, Stephanie McClosky, Donald Lewis Mills, Jr., Tameka Morales, Summer Rahn, Jana Sales, Kendra Setzer, Savannah Spencer, Emily Stober, Lauren Wasmund and Johnny White.
Three judges, John Coffey, LaKeisha Ross and Nathan Hefner, were faced with the difficult task of selecting three prize winners from the twenty contestants who performed. While the judges deliberated, the crowd was entertained by local singer, songwriter and musician, Ulysses Long, who was among the 48 finalists in the seventh season of NBC’s hit show, America’s Got Talent.
Deliberations complete; the prize winners were announced and presented checks by Thursday Rotary Club of Hickory President Mark Seaman and Rotarian Idol Chair Sandi Fotheringham. First prize of $2,500 was awarded to Courtney Chay. The second place check for $1500 went to Lauren Wasmund and the third place prize of $500 was presented to Kendra Setzer. Emily Stober also received a check for $500 as the winner of the “Audience Favorite” vote.
The real winner again was education. In six previous Rotarian Idol competitions the Thursday Rotary Club of Hickory has raised and distributed almost $400,000 for local educational initiatives and Rotary International humanitarian efforts. This year’s fundraiser is expected to raise an additional $70,000 bringing the seven year total close to half a million dollars.
All proceeds raised go toward scholarships for area students, Hickory City Schools Teacher of the Year awards, and other local educational initiatives in Catawba County, as well as other Rotary International humanitarian efforts. Event proceeds also support the Catawba County Partnership for Children’s Imagination Library program, which was created by Dolly Parton and provides children who live in Catawba County one free book in the mail each month until their 5th birthday! Thursday Rotary Club of Hickory has contributed $112,000 to the Imagination Library making the purchase of 56,000 books possible.
Thursday Rotary Club of Hickory would again like to acknowledge and thank this year’s title sponsor Lenoir-Rhyne University. Other major sponsors included Adventive (A-1 Printing), Café Rule (stage sponsor), Catawba Valley Medical Center, FOCUS Newspaper, Graystone Eye, Hickory Daily Record, KICKS 103.3 FM, Spectrum Reach (Charter), WBTV Channel 3 in Charlotte and WHKY-TV Channel 14 in Hickory. Also meriting special recognition are Hal Row, local radio personality, who served as Master of Ceremonies, Rose Mary Cheek of Rose Mary Cheek Photography whose outstanding photos documented the event, all the event program advertisers and volunteers, without whose contributions the fundraiser would not have been a success. And of course a special “thank you” to all the contestants and people who purchased tickets to attend the event.
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2016 Rotarian Idol Contestants Selected and Ticket Sales Locations Announced
Hickory Rotary Club has announced the 20 contestants selected by a panel of judges to compete in the club’s annual musical fundraiser, Rotarian Idol. The event will be held at 7:00 p.m. Saturday, March 12, 2016, in PE Monroe Auditorium on the campus of Lenoir-Rhyne University.
Competing for $5,000 in total prize money will be:
First Place wins $2,500; Second Place $1,500; Third Place $500; and $500 is awarded to the Audience Favorite. Contestants will be judged by a panel of three music industry professionals for the top three prizes. The Audience Favorite will be determined by the audience’s vote at the event. The public will also be able to vote on-line before the event on March 12.
Hickory Rotary Club has hosted Rotarian Idol from 2010 -2015. In its year’s seventh year, the 2016 event will be co-chaired by Rotarians Sandi Fotheringham and Mike Johnson.
“A key factor to the growth of our community is a strong education system. This is the only fundraiser for our club and 100 percent of the money raised will be used to benefit educational needs throughout Catawba County,” said Fotheringham. “Our goal is to exceed the $70,000 raised last year through sponsorships, advertisements in the Show Program, and ticket sales,” she said.
For more information, visit www.hickoryrotary.org, or contact Sandi Fotheringham – 828.320.9429 fotheringhamsa@hickoryschools.net ; Mike Johnson – 828.328.5586 mjohnson@hickorytoyota.com
Vote for your 2016 Rotarian Idol Audience Favorite performer!
Click on the name of your favorite contestant (above) and “vote” for him/her by making an online donation (all proceeds go to support local education and other humanitarian causes of the Hickory Rotary Club). Use the link below to vote for multiple contestants. The contestant who raises the most money receives a $500 cash prize and the Audience Favorite title.
Audience Favorite Vote Link
Tickets for this year’s event are $20. One child, 12 and under, admitted with each paying adult. Each ticket includes a coupon for a free oil change and filter at Mike Johnson’s Hickory Toyota. Tickets may be purchased from any Hickory Rotary Club member or at three convenient locations.
Purchase Tickets On-Line or at the Following Locations
| Hickory Public Schools Administrative Offices | 432 4th Ave SW in Hickory | 828-322-2855 |
| Hickory Community Theater | 30 3rd Street NW (Downtown) | 828-327-3855 |
| Office Furniture USA | 1427 2nd Street NE (Viewmont HWY 127) | 828-345-6200 |
Seventh Annual “ROTARIAN IDOL” Auditions Announced
The Thursday Rotary Club of Hickory has announced dates for its musical fundraiser, “ROTARIAN IDOL”. The event will be held Saturday, March 12, at 7:00 pm in PE Monroe Auditorium on the campus of Lenoir-Rhyne University.
Auditions will be held at The SALT Block Auditorium January 28, from 5:30 – 7:00 pm and January 30, from 2:00 – 3:30 pm. There is no limit on age or place of residence; however, professional singers (who received $600 or more salary or prize money between January 1, 2015 and January 31, 2016) will not be allowed to audition and are not eligible to compete in the 2016 contest. A $5 entry fee is required.
A total of 20 contestants will be chosen to compete for $5,000 in total prize money. First Place wins $2,500; Second Place $1,500; Third Place $500; and $500 is awarded to the Audience Favorite. Contestants will be judged by a panel of three music industry professionals for the top three prizes. The Audience Favorite will be determined by the audience’s vote at the event.
Program ads are available for purchase. A full page ad is $500, a half-page ad is $250 and a quarter-page ad is $150. A limited number of event sponsorships are available. The cost of an event sponsorship is $1000 and includes front program cover recognition, a full page ad and recognition in all media releases.
Tickets to the event are $20 per adult ticket. One child (12 or under) admitted free with each paid adult ticket. Each ticket includes a coupon on the back of the ticket for a free oil change at Mike Johnson Toyota in Hickory, NC.
The event will be co-chaired by Rotarians Sandi Fotheringham and Mike Johnson.
“A key factor to the growth of our community is a strong education system. This is the only fundraiser for our club and 100 percent of the money raised will be used to benefit educational needs throughout Catawba County,” said Fotheringham. “Our goal is to exceed the $70,000 raised last year through sponsorships, advertisements in the Show Program, and ticket sales,” she said.
For more information, visit www.hickoryrotary.org, or contact Sandi Fotheringham – 828.320.9429 fotheringhamsa@hickoryschools.net ; Mike Johnson – 828.328.5586 mjohnson@hickorytoyota.com
