Heartland Idol pursuit brings young stars to Cape stage

It may not have been "American Idol," but the performers of the fourth annual Heartland Idol competition at the SEMO District Fair Wednesday still had stars in their eyes.

They also had hundreds of people cheering them on at the fair's grandstand.

The Heartland Idol competitors were the first musical performers to grace the fair's grandstand stage, before national acts Leroy Van Dyke, Sammy Kershaw and Three Dog Night perform as part of the fair's grandstand entertainment.

There were 24 contestants in the adult division of the competition.

Heartland Idol had three judges, but unlike the TV show that inspired the contest, these three judges stayed out of the spotlight and sat among the crowd.

Judge Kasey Mathers works at River Radio, Randy Preston has been a musician performing in Southeast Missouri for 20 years and Jerry Ganiel is the conductor of the Heartland Pops Orchestra and Chorus.

The judges put 25-year-old Jennifer Henderson of Cape Girardeau in the spotlight, naming her the Heartland Idol winner. She received a prize of $1,000 along with the title.

Henderson's rendition of the Shirelles' "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" won out over covers of songs by Elvis Presley, Martina McBride, Gretchen Wilson and Metallica, to name a few.

Even though this was the first year Heartland Idol had a youth division, including performers age 17 and younger, 12 showed up to sing -- and sometimes dance -- their hearts out for a chance to win a $500 savings bond.

After some technical difficulties were solved, 11-year-old Taylor Miller led off singing "Sweetheart of the Rodeo," complete with yodeling and a matching cowgirl outfit.

Miller, of Malden, Mo., was followed by other young competitors who were mostly girls and were mostly performing country songs.

One of the exceptions was Quitman McBride III, a 12-year-old from Cape Girardeau. He came to the stage nattily dressed in a white suit, black shirt and black hat, and announced to the crowd, which seemed to be full of his fans, "I am Quitman McBride III and I am here to perform this song." Then he plunged into Mary J. Blige's "No More Drama."

His showmanship received thunderous applause and a few screams from the audience.

McBride not only won over the audience with his dramatic performance, he also won over the judges, who decided he was the Heartland Idol of the junior division.

"I was really nervous when they were getting ready to announce who the winner is," McBride said. But once he realized it was him, McBride said his feelings of happiness were overwhelming.

Despite the warm reception his performance received from the audience, McBride said he was almost shy about his win.

"There were a lot of good people up there," he said.

As for the $500 savings bond, McBride said he thinks he will use the money to start a college fund.

kalfisi@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182