The winner of the Moore's Ford talent show

Moore’s Ford Talent Show
Feb. 11, 2005
Oconee Living Section
Athens Banner-Herald

Area High School students win Moore’s Ford Talent Show

By Daniel J. Matthews, Jr.
Correspondent

An enthusiastic audience of more than 300 people braved wet, cold weather to hear some outstanding high school entertainers at the Fourth Annual Tri-County Talent Show/MLK Celebration in honor of The Moore’s Ford Memorial Committee Scholarship fund. 15 public school performers from Clarke, Oconee and Walton counties competed for $1100 in prize money. They went through two different days of tryouts to make the finals.
The diminutive dynamo Frederic Creamer, a freshman at Cedar Shoals High Shoals, took home the top honors with a powerful rendition of the famous “I Have a Dream” speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. and then sang a song called “Hero” which brought the audience to its feet.
Second place went to another Cedar Shoals student in Clara Smith who performed a belly dance entitled “Raks Africa.” She took home $200 for her efforts.
Third place was awarded to Oconee County High School student Briana Dunlap for her vocal performance of the tune “Can’t Give Up Now” and was tied by Ayla Kemp of Monroe Area Comprehensive High School who performed a ballet dance entitled “When You Believe.” Each performer received $137.50.
Clarke Central’s Connelly Crowe sang the Bob Dylan anthem “The Times They Are A-Changing” on acoustic guitar and took home 5th place.
Garrett Garcia of Monroe Area won the 6th place honor with an original rap performance called “One World.” This was his second year of competing in the talent show.
Judges for the show included former Pittsburgh Steelers football player Gregg Pemberton, Keith McNeally, Dr. Joy Leathers, Dexter “Weaver D” Weaver, Sheila Johnson, Barbara Simms, Marta Leyva, Drew Doss and Adebowale Adikile.
An art show called “Live the Dream” also took place with Macy Aviles with peace signs in Gandhi’s eyeglasses as the best over all. Second place went to John French with a pencil drawing of a man brandishing a hammer called “Speak Up for the World to Hear.” Danielle Summers took home 3rd place for a colorful work called “Color: We’d All Be Pretty Boring Without It.” Fourth place went to Gazali Yadai with a work called “Courage.” Several other works were given honorable mention as well.
Judges for the art show included Peggy Holcomb, Bob Marable and John Ahee.
Students from Cedar Shoals collected canned food for the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia.
Dr. John English addressed the audience to give the purpose of the evening and Dr. Thomas Dohrmann, superintendent of Oconee County Board of Education, welcomed the audience.