FREEHOLD – The winners in the 12th annual Freehold Idol talent competition have been crowned.
Each Wednesday evening during the summer, contestants competed for prizes in three age groups: 10 to 15 years old; 16 to 25 years old; and 40 years old and over. A winner was selected in each age group. Freehold Idol performances took place in the Monmouth County Hall of Records plaza, Main Street.
The finals for the 16 to 25 age group were held on Aug. 8. The finals for the 10 to 15 age group and the 40-and-over age group were held on Aug. 15.
The winner in the 40-and-over age group was Stephanie Miller, 48, of Neptune Township, who performed “God Bless the Child” by Billie Holiday. Miller said she has performed in several stage plays, many of which were gospel in nature, and was most recently cast in the musical “Back in the DayZ.”
“One of my future aspirations is to soften hearts and touch souls through my music,” Miller wrote in her entry form for Freehold Idol. “I’ve come to realize in my 48 years that age doesn’t really matter unless you’re a bottle of wine or a piece of cheese.”
The winner in the 16 to 25 age group was Cassidy Westerlund, 17, of Old Bridge, who performed “Halo” by Beyonce. Cassidy said she previously auditioned for Freehold Idol and also competed in Aberdeen’s Got Talent in addition to serving as an EMT for Bayshore Medical.
“I’ve played piano and drums, and dabbled in ukulele in the past, and in eighth grade I played Glinda the Good Witch at my school,” Cassidy wrote in her entry form for Freehold Idol. “I hope to sing an original song at Madison Square Garden one day.”
The winner in the 10 to 15 age group was Megan Stefanacci of Freehold Township, who performed “Breathe” by Kooman and Dimond. Megan said she previously placed second in Freehold Idol and received a callback for the singing competition series “The Voice.”
“I play the piano, guitar and ukulele and do theater, dance and vocal lessons,” Megan wrote in her entry form. “Besides singing, acting and dancing, I love drawing, writing, and writing songs.”
During the preliminary phase of Freehold Idol, contestants sing for the judges with the goal of earning the highest score in their age group on the night they compete so they may advance to the finals. In the finals, contestants sing for the judges in a bid to earn the highest score in their age group and be crowned the winner.
The main judges of the 2018 Freehold Idol competition were Lee Ottman and Guy Daniel. Guest judges this year were Layonne Homes, Eddie Testa, George Markey, Freddy Holman and Mary Weir. Stephen Rubino served as master of ceremonies.
Each winner received a cash prize of $500 and gift certificates from local businesses. Each winner will receive two hours of recording time, plus pre- and post-production engineering services at City Lights Recording Studio, Howell.
“Through the support of sponsors like iPlay America and City Lights Recording Studio, who are our featured sponsors of Freehold Idol, we are able to continue to bring high quality entertainment and other improvements to Downtown Freehold for the benefit of residents and visitors,” said Jeffrey Friedman, Downtown Freehold’s business advocate.
“I am always so impressed with the talent our contestants have; from the very young to the more seasoned contestants, they each have a gift to share with the world. Freehold Idol, like all of DowntownFreehold.com’s events, are a team effort and I would like to thank our event staff and our Freehold Idol coordinator Linda Fascio for all their hard work through the season and the year,” Friedman said.
