'North Fork's Got Talent' Contestants Wow At Strawberry Festival

NORTH FORK, NY — Local stars took the stage in a dazzling display of talent Thursday night as the second annual "North Fork's Got Talent," competition unfolded during the 68th Annual Mattituck Lions Club Strawberry Festival.

The event included vocalists, dancers, and bands, with contestants divided into two categories, 15 and under and 16 and over.

Judge Andy Binkowski told all the contestants that they'd impressed the crowd. "It's unbelievable what you did tonight. To get up here onstage, do what you did, whether you win tonight or don't win tonight, trust me when I tell you — you guys are a load of talent, on this stage tonight. And it was a pleasure to sit here and watch this."

Taking home the $500 first prize in the 15 and under competition was Jayda Hubbard, who wowed both the judges and the audience, many of whom had tears in their eyes, with her rendition of Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You."

Jayda, 15, told the judges that she'd been singing since she "was young." Last year, she took home the second place prize at the competition with her powerhouse performance of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep," which she sang a cappella.

After her win, Jayda told Patch she felt "amazing!"

Coming in second place, with a prize of $250, in the 15 and under category was Foteini Prokopidou, also 11, who sang "Over the Rainbow." Judge Regina Calcaterra said she'd recently seen Foteini singing at a benefit at East Wind, where she performed "Fight Song," in honor of her mother, who is battling cancer. "When I heard that song, it hit my heart," Foteini said.

There was a tie for third place in the 15 and under category, with both Ash Javidi, 11, who performed an original drum solo, and Payton Scudder, 12, an Irish step dancer who recently came in second in a worldwide competition in Ireland, taking home the win.

In the 16 and over category, the band Wave Length — featuring Christian Mangiameli, Will Green, John Schroeder, and Meghan Duffy – took home the top prize after their rocking rendition of Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot." The group met last year when performing in the North Fork Community Theatre's production of "Rent" and have formed a close bond, they said.

Coming in second place was the band Lethal Force, featuring Kevin Jones, Thomas Downey, William Mira and Cheyenne Metzger, all 16 years old; the band performed "Teen Spirit." And in third place, Isabelle Penny, a vocalist and guitarist, won with her original song, which spoke to how it felt to grow up on the North Fork, yearning to experience the world — and then, when she went to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston, how she learned that she missed her hometown.

Also performing were contestants Julia DiGirolamo, who sang "Fearless," by Taylor Swift, the band the Kill Joy, who sang the original "Do You Think of Me," soloist Lilou Zugmeyer, who sang "Numb," by Linkin Park, vocalist Jocelyn Kaelin, who also sang "Fearless," and Nate and Micky Kalich, who sang their own strawberry-themed rendition of "California Dreamin'".