'Seacoast Idol' Finale is Coming

The following is a news release:

This year’s Seacoast Idol will be held Sun., June 10 at 5 p.m. at .

With a record 75 contestants who auditioned in May, this was a 50 percent increase over any other year. Due to the high caliber of local talent, sixteen alternates were chosen.

Unlike American Idol, Seacoast Idol contestants can be any age - in past years contestants have ranged from 7 years old to 70 years old. The first part of the singing competition will be separated by age groups. Winners will be selected from the eighteen contestants in the 17 and under age group, the eight contestants in the 18-39 age group and four contestants from the 40 and older group.  Then the top three will be presented and the "Seacoast Idol" shall win both the title and the grand prize of $1000. 

Co-hosting this year’s Seacoast Idol will be Dover resident Regan Hartley, Miss New Hampshire 2011. Regan Elizabeth Hartley of Dover is Miss New Hampshire 2011. She is a student at Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts, seeking a Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Relations with a minor in Marketing. A trained scuba diver, she is a spokes model for the Caitlin Raymond Bone Marrow Registry, has modeled in Madrid, Spain in 2010 and served as an extra in the Hollywood Film, “The Zookeeper.” Regan has also appeared in print publications and in TV commercials.

Proceeds from the Seacoast Idol will benefit the Exeter Theater Company at the IOKA and its restoration.  In the past the Seacoast Idol (formerly the Karaoke Idol) was sponsored by the Exeter Rotary Club, The Exeter Chamber of Commerce and Big Brother Big Sisters of the Greater Seacoast. The Seacoast Idol is proud to serve the Exeter Theater Company at the IOKA …a theater production for a theater cause. Tickets for the event are $15 for adults and $10 for students 21 and under.

To learn more about the revival of the Ioka Theater in Exeter, go to www.exetertheater.org. For more information and scheduling, or tickets please contact Sandy Martin at sandym@mfe.com or call 603-778-0822.

LIST OF CONTESTANTS

17 years old & under

• Audrey Terrill, E. Kingston
• Molly Roth, E. Kingston
• Max Sjostrom , Gorham
• Lily Burnside, Exeter
• Elizabeth Henry, Durham
• Emily Tosatti , Stratham
• Courtney Lauster , New London
• Natalie Bruno, Stratham
• Michayla  Vardaman, E. Kingston
• Emma Gelinas, Farmington
• Maddy Bachmann, Rye
• Mackenzie Oertel, Kingston
• Margaret Leach, E. Kingston
• Kaila Gutierrez, Exeter
• Ben Agrella, Exeter
• Katie Joy, Stratham
• Meredith Eib, Kingston
• Haley Erdbrink , Exeter

18 to 39

• Gretchen Klempa , Exeter
• Mike Dunbar, Hampton
• Shiena  Hara, Portsmouth
• Michelle Jensen, Dover
• Jamie Voliantes , Seabrook
• Maria LeClair , Somersworth
• Julie Benson, Exeter
• Shanna Pinet , Danville

40-plus

• Charlie Strater, Stratham
• Kat Murphy, Exeter
• Veronica Pannier-Clunie, Rye
• Paula Dufresne , Exeter