10 will compete on Saturday for chance at crown
By Betsy Avelar Staff Writer
Gilroy – “I was freaking out, I was just jumping up and down and screaming,” said Jessica Lagasse the fifth finalist for the Garlic Idol competition Thursday. She and Regina Koepf, the fourth finalist, will travel from San Jose to compete again on Saturday.
“Man, I feel relieved because I thought I would have to go to the festival and spend my whole day trying out, but now I get to go and just have fun with my family,” Koepf said.
Koepf, 36, and Lagasse, 15, have guaranteed spots in the competition. Three other finalist will be joining them in their feelings of relief; Janiah Gomez, 31, Monique Tilley, 30, both San Jose residents, and finally Dominic Woodson, 16, a Gilroy resident.
This was the first Garlic Idol audition on radio station Mix 106.5, and it won’t be the last said Producer Tim Bednarz. “Garlic Idol” came about from the radio station’s ideas as well as the promotions, sales and marketing groups of the Garlic Festival. The call-in radio station contest ran from Friday through Thursday until a total of five contestants were chosen by the radio station. On Friday, 50 people are allowed to audition and five will be chosen to compete with the five singers chosen by listeners to 106.6, but only three of those 10 will make it to the finals; and only one will win the 1,000 gallons of gasoline.
“I want it pretty bad,” said Dominic who literally called the radio station every hour to audition. “I always wanted to try out for “American Idol” and (my mom) said ‘if you want to be on “American Idol” you need to do this first to see if you’re good enough.’ ” Dominic isn’t the only one with this dream.
Gomez, the first finalist selected last week, sings with a band and has participated with a Jazz Festival in San Jose. When her husband told her of the competition, she was up at 4am ready to sing.
“I was surprised that I made it to the first round.” But she along with Tilley and the others, have a chance to make it to the final round.
“There’s still another round so I gotta win,” said Tilley. If she wins, she will use the 1,000 gallons of gas to drive 3,000 miles to see her husband who will soon be stationed in Georgia.
Although 1,000 gallons of gas sounds attractive, Bednarz is convinced that there is a bigger reason for the contestants’ endeavor to the finalist pool.
“People are motivated by (the idea of) singing in front of a crowd at the Garlic Festival,” he said.
Other judges for the weekend contest include a past Garlic Festival Queen, Tim Babb Webmaster from Mix 106.5, and for the finals on Sunday, Bud E. Luv, a Bay Area’s entertainment icon will be present said Ryan Ramiro the entertainment chair for the Garlic Festival.
Betsy Avelar is an intern and attends Gavilan College. Reach her at ba*****@************ch.com.
