Talent will be on display
at Lakewood showcase
BY JOYCE BLAY
Staff Writer
LAKEWOOD — Being discovered is more often a matter of chance than of design. On Nov. 9, the nonprofit organization Crystal Rose will attempt to reduce those odds by holding a talent show in the auditorium of the Clifton Avenue School that will showcase the area’s show business hopefuls.
"We welcome everybody with talent," said Mirta Marsala, head of Crystal Rose. "That is our goal; maybe they’ll go to Hollywood, right?"
While Hollywood stardom is not a guarantee Marsala will make, she does promise community members that they will have fun and possibly surprise and impress friends and loved ones.
"We had a first talent show on Feb. 2 because people asked me to do it," Marsala said. "After the Unity Day Parade, everyone asked me when I was going to hold another one."
Since the fees generated by the event help fund the annual Unity Day Parade held during the summer, Marsala was happy to comply.
"We feel the cost is worth the effort since everyone always has a good time," she said.
The second talent show will give aspiring hoofers and crooners in all age categories a chance to demonstrate their skills in a variety of musical styles that includes hip-hop, salsa, merengue, reggae, instrumental and bachata. A panel of five judges selected from members of the community will select the contest’s winners.
Beginning at 2:30 p.m. and continuing to 6:30 p.m., contestants will each have an equal opportunity to win by being able to compete against others in their age level.
Junior contestants, ages 5-10, will take the stage first. Intermediate contestants, ages 11-14, will perform in the next group. Teenagers from ages 15-18 will be the last of the younger age categories to perform. Adults will include anyone 19 and older.
No matter what age the contestant, said Marsala, everyone who places first, second or third will receive a trophy.
"People who win a trophy each get a chance to compete against other winners for the best of the best," said Marsala. "This time the trophy will be 24 inches high and the best of the best will also get a $100 cash prize."
Even if contestants do not win a chance to compete for the grand prize, they are still eligible to win money if they can guess the amount of money contained in a mayonnaise jar.
"People are given a card when they enter the school auditorium and they have a chance to win the jar and its contents if they guess correctly," said Marsala.
When asked where the money came from that would be available to the winner who guessed the correct amount, Marsala said, "My savings," and laughed.
She said that when the first contest was held on her birthday in February, nobody guessed the correct amount of money in the jar.
"Some people thought there was $3,000 in there!" said Marsala in amazement.
The person who can correctly guess the amount in the jar this time around will win both jackpots since Marsala said she would be adding the amount from the previous contest to the prize winnings available in the second contest.
"I keep putting more money into the big mayonnaise jar and they can win it," she said. "Dollars get more attention than jelly beans."
Jelly beans will not be on the menu for hungry contestants, but Marsala promises a selection of energy-generating snack foods for sale that will include hamburgers, hot dogs, stuffed potatoes and pizza.
Even if people do not wish to participate in the talent contest, they are welcome to cheer on others, said Marsala.
"I like to keep in touch with the community and these events help me do that," she said.
General admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children age 9 and under. There is a registration fee of $10 each for contestant groups of five persons or less. Groups of six or more will pay a registration fee of $7 each. For information call (732) 473-9396.