By Kim McDarison
Fort Atkinson High School was packed to the brim with performers, volunteers, students and other guests from across a four-state region as it hosted the “28th Annual Fort Showcase,” a competition for high school and middle school show choirs.
This year, 18 high school show choirs, including 15 mixed groups and three treble groups, and four middle school show choirs competed over the course of the two-day event, with middle school choirs participating Friday and high school choirs participating Saturday.
The event was hosted by the Fort Atkinson South High Street Singers, the Fort Atkinson Lexington Singers, and the Fort Atkinson Fourth Street Singers.
This year, according to information released by the School District of Fort Atkinson, show choirs arrived from Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana and Illinois, with each group consisting of singers/dancers, band members and crew.
Performances were held on a professional stage, with lighting and sound, which transformed the Fort Atkinson High School’s PremierBank Gym into a concert hall, with seating on the floor and on bleachers within the gym.
Additionally, during the event, solo and duet competitions were held in the school’s Performing Arts Center.
The high school’s Commons served as a “mini food court,” the release noted, where visitors to the high school also could purchase t-shirts.
During the event, classrooms within the high school serviced as “homerooms” for each performing group. Fort Atkinson High School students decorated each room to welcome the competing guests. School representatives also remained with the visiting groups to help them navigate the high school, answer questions, and get them to the stage in advance of their performance times.
According to the release, more than 200 volunteers helped make the event a success. In advance of the event, organizers anticipated that some 3,000 visitors would be in attendance.
This year’s judges included: Craig Engstrom, Troy Larson, Jamie McMahon, Dallas James Pitt, Peggy Strimple, and Justin Steger.
Following the event, according to the showchoir.com website, the middle school show choir “Shine!” emerged as the first place winner. The choir is from St. Michael Parish School. Other winners included: Mayville Middle School’s “Next Edition,” taking second place, and new London Middle School’s “First Sight,” awarded third place. A group called “Crescendos,” from the DeForest Area Middle School came in fourth.
Competing finalist high school show choirs placed as follows: “Sandpipers,” Chesterton High School, Grand Champion; “Sound,” Mundelein High School, first runner up; “Vintage,” Neenah High School, second runner up; “Cardinal Singers,” Mayville High School, third runner up; “Surround Sound,” Bettendorf High School, fourth runner up, and “Choralation,” Milton High School, fifth runner up.
Groups also placed within divisions as follows:
Mixed Division, Tier I, prelims: “Sound,” Mundelein High School, first place; “Sandpipers,” Chesterton High School, second place; “Cardinal Singers,” Mayville High School, third place; “Vintage,” Neenah High School, fourth place; “Choralation,” Milton High School, fifth place; “Surround Sound,” Betterdorf High School, sixth place; “Vision,” New London High School, seventh place; “Silver Connection,” Monona Grove High School, eighth place; “Choraliers,” Reedsburg Area High School, ninth place; “Spotlighters,” Craig High School, Janesville, tenth place, and “B*JAZZled,” Burlington High School, eleventh place.
Mixed Division Tier II: “Reverb,” Mundelein High School, first place; “Act II,” Neenah High School, second place; “Cavaliers,” Crete-Monee High School, third place, and “Guys and Dolls,” Brodhead High School, fourth place.
Treble Division: “Drifters,” Chesterton High School, first place; “Octave Above,” Milton High School, second place, and “Silver Dimension,” Monona Grove High School, third place.
For a complete listing of awards, visit showcase.com.
Click on the image above to view our Fort Showcase photo album.
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