This year’s talent show is here! The Spotlight on Corona Youth Talent Show will be held on Saturday, February 11, 2012 from 2-4 p.m., and you’re invited!

Juliene Malecot is the Young Adult librarian and this will be the fifth talent contest that she has put on. Originally, and prior to her tenure, the talent show was open to teens only:

It was a Teen talent show, open to grades 6-12 and produced by the library’s Teen Advisory Council (TAC). Last year, we made the decision to open the contest up to all school-aged children, so this is our second year producing the Spotlight on Corona Youth Talent Show for grades K-12, with two divisions: Kids (K-6) and (7-12).

Last year, The Spotlight on Corona Youth Talent show was a phenomenally successful program, with at least 107 people in the audience.  There were five acts in the Teen division and twelve acts in the Kids division.  Unlike the Teen Talent Show, where performers were predominantly singers, this was a really balanced competition.  There were several instrumentalists, some dancers, a girl who recited poetry, an original comedic monologue, and singers too.

Due to a couple of ties in the Teen division, all five of the acts recieved prizes, with Julianna Davis, a 16 year-old opera singer, taking first place.  First prize in the Kids division went to 6 year-old Mira Doan, who recited four poems, one of which she has written herself. Juliene says:

Mira was incredibly poised and, quite honestly, the cutest thing that any of us had seen in a long time.

The Teen Advisory Council is a group of teens (grades 7-12) committed to helping the library reach teenagers.  The TAC meets on the first Monday of each month from 6:30 – 7:30 in the Library Boardroom to discuss programs, teen reading lists, fundraising, and other projects.  The TAC is the voice for teen issues in the library.  This group recently helped plan some major aspects of Teens On Main, our new teen technology center. In addition to receiving community service hours for meetings and programs, TAC members can also receive letters of recommendation from library staff for their involvement with the TAC.  During the past year, TAC members presented the Spotlight on Corona Youth Talent Show and are currently planning a fund-rasing event and several craft programs for the upcoming year.

•The competition will be open to all school-age kids (i.e., grades k-12), with two divisions: Kids (k-6) and Teens (7-12)
•The prizes will be Barnes & Noble gift cards in the amount of $50, $35, and $25 for the three top acts in each category.
•Our piano is available for use.

For more information, and to get an application, call: (951) 736-2404 or visit the library website.

The deadline for registration is February 4th, 2012.