MOVILLE, Iowa -- As heavy rain pelted the roof of Flather’s Hall at the Woodbury County Fair, Ethan Wiggs stood holding his guitar wondering if he’d get to sing his song.
Wiggs was the final participant in the senior division at the final night of qualifying through the Bill Riley Talent Search for the Iowa State Fair.
“It was pretty funny," Wiggs said. "I was not expecting the weather to get that bad. You could barely hear anything in there. But I was excited I was still able to perform because I didn’t think I’d be able to with the weather."
Wiggs and Mackenzie Crawford, 17, Sioux City, took first place in the senior division for participants ages 13-21. Mya Burns, 12, Sioux City, and Brylee Merritt, 12, Onawa, Iowa, won the sprout division prizes. The four winners qualified to perform at the Bill Riley Talent Search at the Iowa State Fair.
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As the rain moved into Moville Saturday night, organizers kept shifting the scheduled acts so that those performing vocal solos were pushed back in hopes that the weather would break. But Wiggs wasn’t so lucky.
So when it came time for him to take the stage, his chair was placed just inches away from the three-judge panel.
“It was just kind of different. I wasn’t expecting that,” Wiggs said. The 20-year-old from Whiting, Iowa performed “Champions/Gratitude.”
“I’ve always sung but I started playing the guitar during quarantine and COVID. There was nothing going on and I said I need to learn to play an instrument for myself so I picked up guitar and I just messed around on it and I’ve been playing ever since.”
His performance piece was a mash-up of two favorite tunes.
“I am currently a student at Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Missouri, studying worship ministry so faith is a huge part of my life," Wiggs said. "There’s my faith in Jesus and I knew I wanted to sing a worship song or in this case two worship songs I kind of mashed together. Faith plays such a huge role in my life and I just wanted to share my faith with others. Any opportunity I get to share my faith, the good news of Jesus, I have to take that opportunity no matter what."
Brylee Merritt was bursting with excitement after taking first place in the sprout division Saturday night competing against seven other children.
She did a clog dance routine to The Beatles’ hit "Can’t Buy Me Love.”
“I take dance at Grace Dance Company and this was my clog routine for our recital,” she said. “I just love doing clog and it’s just such a fun song.”
She has been taking dance lessons since the age of 3.
Her mother, Amy Merritt, was on hand to see her take first place.
“I am beyond proud of her," Merritt said. "We tried numerous fairs and the closest she got was second so I am very excited that she qualified for state this year."
Mya Burns, 12, Sioux City, took the top prize in the sprout division at the fairgrounds.
She performed the Alicia Keys tune “This Girl is on Fire.”
“It really showcases people’s talent. It is just expressive about how a girl is on fire. It really showcases how much talent you have,” Burns said.
She started singing at age 6.
“I like to express myself through singing. It makes me feel good.”
This is the first time she competed in the Bill Riley Talent Search.
“It was very lovely. Everyone that I met there was so nice. The talents were so amazing.”
Burns said one of the reasons she started singing was she missed her brother Max, 9, who suffered from serious ear aches and spent lots of time in the hospital.
“He wasn’t really home a lot. So I could comfort myself by singing,” she explained.
Mackenzie Crawford is a veteran performer at the fair.
"I do vocal solos at the Woodbury County Fair and I have been participating in the fair since I was 8 or 9 years old. I've been doing this for quite a while," Crawford said.
She performed "She Used to Be Mine" from the Broadway musical "Waitress."
"Broadway has always been my biggest dream and that happens to be my favorite song from a Broadway musical," Crawford said. "I've been singing that song for a long time and I think that songs have such a special quality when you can really listen to the lyrics. Since I've grown up that song has a lot more meaning and I just wanted to be able to show that to other people and be able to express that through the song."
This was Wiggs’ third time competing in the qualifying rounds of the Bill Riley Talent Search.
“Going into my junior year in high school I won that one but I got sick at state. It was awful I didn’t make it past the first round,” Wiggs said.
He is hoping for a better time this year.
“I am just grateful I am able to do what I love,” he said.
Wiggs credited Tom Gerking, co-superintendent of the Bill Riley Talent Search at the Woodbury County Fair, with fostering his talent.
“He’s a big reason why I am in the position I am in,” Wiggs said.
Gerking is the 7-12 vocal music at Westwood Community Schools.
“He asked me to come back. I am glad he did. He was pushing me to sing and pushing me to be my best self,” Wiggs said.
Gerking said the two nights of entertainment were a success.
“Kathy Clarkson (co-superintendent of the Bill Riley Talent Search at the fair) and I have been doing this, this is year 30, and we’ve seen a lot of acts come and go," Gerking said. "Some phenomenal performers, amazing dancers, amazing instrumentalists, amazing piano players, amazing acrobats, baton twirling.
“I performed at the State Fair for four years in a row from 18 until I was 21 and it was just a great experience. They come from all over because this is one of the last qualifiers for the State Fair so we are getting people sometimes from Des Moines, as far away as Davenport or Keokuk.”