Editor's note: Pick up a copy of Thursday's edition of The Chronicle for a full guide to the Southwest Washington Fair. The fair runs Aug. 15-20. Visit https://southwestwashingtonfair.org/ to learn more.
Whether you’re a Broadway talent scout or an everyday Lewis County resident looking for some high quality entertainment, the Southwest Washington Fair’s talent show is the place to be at noon on Sunday, Aug. 20 on the Community Stage.
All acts are vetted to ensure they are suitable for family audiences. There is no fee to participate, but winners of the event may take home some money, sponsored by TwinStar Credit Union.
Cash prizes totaling $500 are split between three separate age brackets for performers: “kids” ages 6 to 12, “teens” ages 13 to 19 and “adults” age 20 and over.
Applications can be submitted online at southwestwashingtonfair.org/events/contests or in the fair office at 1930 S. Gold St., Centralia.
“It’s a competition, but it’s a very friendly competition,” said talent organizer Pat Slusher Jr., in a previous interview with The Chronicle. “It’s just nice for people to have the opportunity to go out there and do it. The audience loves it … Anything that’s a talent is welcome.”
Slusher has a hand in organizing nearly every fair event, but the talent show is his favorite. Exhibits come and go, he said, but the talent show has been around for as long as he can remember.
The wide range of local talent never fails to amaze, Slusher said, and he called himself especially fond of the event because he is “an old showbiz ham.”
Past performances have included a keyboard player who Slusher said played “like a wizard,” gospel singers, magic shows, dances, cloggers and tap dancers.
Performances are typically pretty mainstream, Slusher said, noting children often enjoy singing or dancing to their favorite popular songs. But anyone with any talent is welcome, so long as it is fair appropriate.
“I never tell anyone to go into show business, but I thought some of them could turn pro,” Slusher said of past performers.
For more information, call the fair office at 360-740-1495 or visit southwestwashingtonfair.org/events/contests .
