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ON stage

The waiting is almost over for the next Miami Valley Idol

Finals for the popular competition go down this weekend

Dale Buckner

ENLARGE PHOTO

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By Eric Robinette, Staff Writer 12:16 PM Wednesday, June 17, 2009

After months of tryouts and rehearsals, it comes down to these final 10 for the Miami Valley Idol singing contest, which crowns its winner this Saturday, June 20 at the Sorg Opera House.

The first-place winner will receive $1,000, second place $500, and third place $250. Contestants will also receive recording time.

Dale Buckner

Age: 41

Town: Middletown

For a veteran of the local karaoke scene, leaping into Miami Valley Idol was an easy call.

“I’ve always been into karaoke and everybody tells me ‘You should try out!’ I felt confident I could sing with people,” Buckner said.

That confidence may stem from the fact that Buckner runs a karaoke show on Wednesday nights at the Reflections nightclub in Middletown. With so many different songs traveling through his ears, Buckner doesn’t gravitate to any one style.

“You name it, I’ll sing it. I can do Frank Sinatra with Aerosmith,” he said.

And indeed, his repertoire in Miami Valley Idol has included Sinatra’s “Luck be a Lady” and “Rock and Roll all Nite” by KISS - in the same show.

Kaylyn Gooslin

Age: 14

Town: Fairfield

Being a teenager, Gooslin is the youngest singer in Miami Valley Idol, and, as she admits, not the most experienced. So that’s why she appreciates the support the other contestants have given her, competitors though they may be.

“There are a bunch of people who are older and have more experience than me, but everyone is so friendly, They help me and it’s really good to be around them,” Gooslin said.

Still, Gooslin has made her own choices too. When she started with Miami Valley Idol, she was singing country songs like “Last Name” by Carrie Underwood. Then she decided she out to branch out to tunes like Cheap Trick’s “I Want You to Want Me” and “Call Me” by Blondie.

“When I first started, I thought I would be mostly country, so I started singing other stuff because I really like everything now,” she said.

Amber Hensley

Age: 21

Town: Hamilton

Singing attracts Hensley to an event like a magnet. When she went to school, she participated in pretty much any activity that called for a vocalist.

“If it was anything chorus related, I was in it,” she said. And so it goes with Miami Valley Idol.

Hensley says she grew up listening to country. That being the case, song choices like “I Told You So” by Carrie Underwood, “Born to Fly” by Sara Evans, “Something More” by Sugarland and “It Matters to Me” by Faith Hill make the most sense for Hensley.

“My ambition is to sing because I love it so much. It gives me something to do and it keeps me happy,” Hensley said.

Stephanie Horn

Age: 23

Town: Carlisle

Horn has been singing since her age was still a single digit. She entered Miami Valley Idol because she “wanted a chance to get in a contest and see what I had.”

Now Idol audiences have found out she has wide-ranging vocal chops that cover everything from “Jesus Take the Wheel” by Carrie Underwood to “I Love Rock n’ Roll” by Joan Jett.

Horn’s best moment in the show, though, came when she sang Martina McBride’s “Independence Day.”

“That’s a song I’ve done for a really long time. I just let my guard down and went for it and it went over really well,” she said.

Erica Keene

Age: 21

Town: Trenton

Although Keene hails from Trenton, she’s spending most of her time these days in Nashville, Tenn. where she scored an internship with the Gospel Music Association.

That explains her choice of Christian songs for much of her stint in Miami Valley Idol. She has sung “I Am” by Nicole C. Mullen and “Free to Be Me” by Francesca Battistelli. She has also played “Something More” by Sugarland and “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol, the latter of which is Keene’s standout moment so far, she said.

What has helped her progress as far as she has in Idol is “maybe my passion for music. When I’m on stage, I just love it. I’m just at home,” she said.

Meghan Sanborn

Age: 23

Town: West Chester

For Sanborn, Miami Valley Idol was her chance to get back into singing after a few quiet years.

“I just graduated from college. I’d not been singing for awhile and I thought it would be a good idea.When I was 11 or 12 I was in different competitions, but I got sidetracked.

Musically, Sanborn travels all over the map, from country to classic rock to blues. She has sung songs by Etta James. Carrie Underwood, Journey, and even Motley Crue, which gave Sanborn her crowning moment in the competition, with “Home Sweet Home.” That got her a standing ovation from the judges.

“I’m super excited for the finale. It sounds great. It sounds so much better with a live band,” she said, referring to the group 4Now, which will back the Idols up.

Sarena Smith

Age: 20

Town: Beavercreek

Although Smith lives in Beavercreek, a little far to the north, she has friends in Middletown, so trying out for Miami Valley Idol wasn’t much of a stretch. Now its paid off.

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