Karaoke coming to Colorama

You can sing your heart out and win $100 towards a local business at a karaoke contest at this year’s Colorama.

The contest will be held at the beer tent at North Dam Park on Friday, May 6, at 7 p.m., and so will be limited to participants age 21 and over.

Morgan Tillman, of Apothecary Salon, will be the master of ceremonies for the event, and said that if the contest goes well there could be more in the future, including for those under 21.

“I was just trying to find an activity that is inexpensive and that I knew that our community would like,” she said about developing the contest, noting that she’s seen a lot of karaokiers in the area and felt like it would be a fun Colorama activity for adults to participate in. 

Participants will sing a song of their choice, and duets are welcome, Tillman explained. Three winners will receive $100 gift certificates to local businesses of their choice as long as the businesses are members of the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce.

Winners will be asked to sing an encore song, as well.

Singers will be judged on three categories: crowd reaction, stage presence, and the judges’ overall scores, and the audience can help settle any ties.

Tillman said karaoke is about more than being a good singer, and you don’t necessarily have to be a good singer to win.

So far the judges include Jimmer Tillman, the bass player for Lovestitch, who will be playing at the beer garden the following night; and Krissy Rawley, a stylist at Apothecary Salon, who Morgan Tillman describes as a karaoke enthusiast.

Jimmy Phillips will be the “KJ,” or karaoke jockey, for the night.

Those interested in being a judge, or who would like to request a certain song be available to sing, should contact Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rachelle Baughman at 509-633-3074 or by email at rachelle@grandcouleedam.org.