SOKY's Got Talent Finals

Hello everyone. It's the first week of Fall and 3rd week of September and it's time for me to start catching up on some of the things from the past month or so that I want to share with y'all. I've been very busy and there's a lot to tell you.  

I'm going to start with the biggest event of the summer for me, my participation in the finals of the SOKY's Got Talent competition.  
(Before I tell that story, I want to apologize for not having more pictures from that night. I was so focused on a good performance that I wasn't very mindful of documenting the occasion with pictures. 
I do have some shots and video taken by friends and family members. I will share those with you.) 

After the busy weekend in Orlando, it took me a couple of days transition out of my "road trip" mentality and into focusing on the performance that might get me that first place trophy.
The SOKY's Got Talent finals were in 3 days and I had to be at my best.  

What chances did I have of winning? Well, here's what I figured going in. There were 5 participants in my age group (36 and up), so I figured I had a 20% chance of winning in my category. 

From the winners of the five age groups, in finals, one would be awarded the SOKY Trophy. 

So once I got to that level, I would have a 20% chance there too. 

I had written a couple new jokes for my finals performance. I would be singing the same song but the jokes were customized for the SKYPAC audience. 

I practiced as much as I could the few days between getting back from Florida and the finals. 

On Saturday August 24th, at 2 o'clock, I went to SKYPAC for the soundcheck. 

I waited in the lobby with the rest of the acts. After about 15 minutes I was called to the stage. 

I walked through the doors that I'd been through only once before for a special meet & greet with Marylin Mcoo and Billy Davis Jr. 

I was led to the stage where the stage hand set up my mic and I started my act. The view of the house from the stage was amazing. I had put a lot of effort to get there. 

I told my jokes and sang about a minute of my song before the crew stopped me. They had the levels they needed. 

I drove back home and got dressed for the show. I put on the same shirt and tie I wore for my audition and first performance. This time I added a blazer to the ensemble. Unfortunately, I don't have a posed picture of how I was dressed that night. I was back at SKYPAC by 5:30. 

The atmosphere in the lobby was that of collective excitement and focus of finals contestants waiting to start the last leg of their "got talent" experience.  

As I waited my son and daughter in law, Michael and Heather came in. They were there after having dinner at a local restaurant a block or so away. They hung out with me while I waited. 

My wife; granddaughter, Aria; other daughter in law, Brandi; and my sister in law, Theresa would join them in the audience to cheer me on. 

Soon, the director of the competition came through the doors to the backstage area and took us all back to the dressing rooms. 

There were several dressing rooms but we were directed to the two designated for us; one each for the men and the women. There was also a small green room with a couch and some chairs, where everyone could sit and comfortably watch the show on the TV monitor. 
As the evening would play out this would be the place most of the younger contestants would hang out together. 

The first event of the evening was walking the red carpet set up outside the center. 

A little after 6 o'clock all the contestants were let out a side door. We walked around the building to the front. 

I had Cecil with me. He was dressed in his cowboy outfit but was wearing sunglasses, acting like the star he is.  

I was toward the front of the line with one or two contestants in front of me. It was a very warm day and I was in my jacket and tie. Also, not being able to walk at a very fast pace, the speed at which the director walked was a bit difficult for me. By the time we got to the front of the building I was a bit winded. 

Interviewing the contestants on the red carpet were two young ladies. I'm not sure who they were but I was told that they were contestants in a couple of the state or regional beauty pageants. 

They were very enthusiastic and charming but they seemed like fish out of water. 

When it was my turn to walk up to the girls they were thrilled to meet Cecil. They asked me questions about ventriloquism and of course, Cecil chimed acting like the star. 

I'll always remember one thing about that one minute interview. One of the young ladies asked Cecil a question. When she finished she put the microphone in front of him and not me. 
I don't think anyone but her and I realized what she did. But it was the first highlight of my night. 

Back in the dressing room I took off my jacket and found a seat in front of the monitor in the men's dressing room. 

This would be my place for a while. I was scheduled to be the 3rd performer in the 2nd half of the show. 

While I waited, I watched the other performances and talked with some of the other contestants. Most of the conversation was with Tim Long, a singer/songwriter who was also part of the Meteor group. 

He played one of his songs for me telling me how he got the idea and the process of writing it. 

When the time came and I was "on deck" I walked to the back stage area and took a seat in wings.  

David Hosey (pronounced "Ho-say") a local puppeteer was serving as one of the talent coordinators back stage. He's part of the Sublime Media group that I mentioned in my audition post back in July. He's the voice of "Little Trent" in a series of local commercials for a retail mattress store. 

As the act on stage was finishing, David came over to alert me to get ready. He paid me a wonderful compliment. He whispered "Thank you. You are doing a good thing for the puppet community."

I don't know if I did anything for the "puppet community" but I appreciated the recognition from someone whose skills I admire.

Now standing in the wing on stage right, I heard the host announce my name. 

I stepped out of the shadows and my time in the spotlight began. Here are some videos I've gathered thanks to friends and family member who were there. 

The quality of some of the videos is not all that great but they do convey the essence of my performance. 

 I really enjoyed my time on stage. It was an experience I'll never forget. 

After the applause began to fade I walked off the stage and returned to the back stage dressing room. 

There were 6 more acts after me. Now there was nothing to do but wait until the winners were announced. 

45 minutes later I was back in the wings waiting to be called back on stage. I had Cecil with me when everyone lined up to hear the results of the judges' voting. 

The singer who won the first competition in 2018, Justin Cole, went on stage and sang 2 songs. He covered "Long Black Train" and sang an original number entitled, "Boots."

After he finished his brief set, it was time for the contestants to line up on stage. 

As it turned out our entrance was a bit early as the judges took longer than expected in making their decisions. 

The host, Barb Deeb had to do some major stretching on stage. She passed the time by talking to some of the contestants.  

She focused on the younger contestants. Staying on the right side of the stage. I was hoping she'd come over to me and give me yet another few seconds in the spotlight but she didn't.

The delay in the final decisions caused a little bit of a problem for me. I had no idea when I walked out on stage with Cecil on my hand, I had no idea how long I'd have to hold him up with my right arm and keep him "alive". 

After about 5 minutes I my arm was cramping and I was hurting a bit. At that point I was doing my best not to faint from the heat of the lights. 

Finally, the results were delivered to the host and the winners were revealed. 
Here's video of the announcement of the winners in my category. 

I was rather disappointed that I didn't come in first place but Tim Long is very talented and a very nice guy. He was deserving of the award. 

After all the individual category winners were announced it was time to award the winner of the SOKY trophy. 

That winner was a singer, Brittany Whitlow. 

I must admit that her performance of "I'm Here" from Broadway show, The Color Purple was remarkable. She deserved to win. 

I am very proud of my award. But couldn't help but think that the judges were a little biased from the start. Two of the three were singers and or musicians, themselves. Naturally, they would tend to favor the contestants who displayed talent doing what they were familiar with. If this competitions happens again in 2020 there should be at least 1 more judge, if not 2, and their appreciation of talent should be more diverse.  

After the show was over, I put Cecil in his bag along with my plaque and headed out to the lobby. 

It was buzzing with activity of the exiting audience and the contestants meeting up with their family and friends. Congratulations and hugs were being conveyed all around. I sat down on a bench and waited for my family to come out. 

While I waited something happened that helped put the night and the entire competition into perspective. 

As I sat waiting, a woman walked up to me along with a little boy who was about 5 or 6. They were both smiling. The mother said to me, "He loves you and your turtle." 

She explained that they had seen us in the semi-finals and her son was very excited when he knew he would see us in the finals. 

The little boy had a big smile on his face. Unfortunately, I don't remember his name. I told him that I was glad he enjoyed our performance. I asked him if he would like to meet Cecil. He shook his head yes. 

I brought Cecil out and started talking with him. This child's face lit up like he had just met his hero. He was mesmerized. 

During the conversation it was revealed that the next day was his birthday. I had Cecil do a quick "Happy Birthday" song. His mom took a picture of the three of us and they went on their way. 

I was so touched that I got a little overwhelmed. I took a deep breath to collect myself right about the time that my family found me. 

My grand daughter gave me a bit hug and expressed her dismay at the fact that everyone kept referring to me as "The Turtle Man". "He's not the turtle man, he's my Papa." She insisted. Check off another special memorable moment for me. Totally worth it. 

Soon, my family said "good-bye" and I headed to my car for the drive home. 

In the parking lot I saw Tim Long talking with some friends. I congratulated him and said it was nice to get to know him.
He told me that next year was my turn because he was "officially" retired from the SOKY competition. 

The 1st runner up plaque I received is a very special award to me. On the Monday following the competition, I had a plate made with my name and talent on it. I think it adds the personal touch it was missing. It is now on display on the bookshelf in my living room. 

On the following Wednesday, August 28, the local news station, WBKO, ran a story about SOKY's Got Talent. They only mentioned the winner by name. But they showed video of all the contestants on stage. So I was on TV. Yet another 15 seconds of fame. 

Now that its all over, I am very happy that I decided to take the chance and enter the 2019 SOKY's Got Talent competition. 

I want to thank my wife and all my family for their love and support throughout my journey. 

Now, I've got a year to think about, write, and perfect an act that will take me over the top and win me that elusive pair of trophies. Will that happen? You'll have to come back in 2020 to find out. 

In the mean time, a spark has been lit in reminding me how much I enjoy being a ventriloquist. I am considering making renewed effort to start performing again.
 Not quite sure how its going to happen or what it's going to look like. But I have some ideas. Rest assured when it does happen I will share it all with you.