DES MOINES, IOWA (August 8, 2019) — Five talented Sprout division acts (ages 2-12) and six Senior division acts (ages 13-21) have advanced to the semi-final round in Bill Riley's 60th annual Iowa State Fair Talent Search. Each act will perform again on Thursday, August 15; Friday, August 16; or Saturday, August 17.
The names, ages, hometowns and routines of the sprouts acts are:
Emmi Flynn, 12, Waterloo, Vocal Solo
Aniya Hardee, 11, Bedford, Violin Solo
Lily Carlson, 12, Burlington, Tap Dance
Sadie Blommers, 12, and Gabriella Stropes, 11, Oskaloosa, Contemporary Dance Duet
Arianna Bowen, 8, and Preston Martin, 8, Prole/Norwalk, Jazz Dance Duet
The names, ages, hometowns and routines of the senior acts are:
Abigail White, 16, Centerville, Tap Dance
Rylie Shettler, 19, Sigourney, Vocal Solo
Cali Wilson, 18, Norwalk, Dance: Lyrical Solo
Harlie Jacobsen, 21, Rockford, Vocal/Guitar Solo
Rachel Rudacille, 15, Centerville, Alto Saxophone/Clarinet Solo
Marcus Ugolini, 16, and Harrison Ingham, 16, Ankeny, Vocal Duet
The Bill Riley Talent Search has put Iowa's young talent on stages across the state each summer since 1960. Nearly 100 local qualifying competitions are held across the state and winners advance to the State Fair competition, where there are seven days of preliminary competition for Sprouts (ages 2-12) and Seniors (ages 13-21), followed by the semi-finals and, ultimately, the selection of one Senior Champion. The Sprouts do not compete beyond the semi-finals, but perform in the Championship Show as Sprout Champions set for Sunday, August 18, at 1:30PM on the Anne and Bill Riley Stage sponsored by Pepsi and media sponsor CW Iowa 23.
More than $17,000 will be awarded to the Senior and Sprout divisions combined. The Bill Riley Talent Search is presented by Hy-Vee.
The Iowa State Fair is one of the oldest and largest agricultural and industrial expositions in the country and the single largest event in the state. The Fair began over 160 years ago and is now considered one of the best events in the nation. Attracting more than one million Fairgoers every year from all over the world, truly nothing compares. The fairgrounds are located at East 30th and East University, just off the interstate and minutes from Downtown Des Moines. Nothing Compares to State Fair Favorites: August 8-18, 2019. For more information, visit www.iowastatefair.org.
