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Stage is set for the West End Fair talent show

If you're looking for a variety of great live performances, there's no need to stray any farther than Gilbert this Sunday, because the West End Fair's Got Talent.

"This is our fifth year, and we're celebrating five years of great talent. We're looking forward to having quite a few dancers and singers, and it's going to be a great show," organizer Pam Borger said."We have some returning talent, but we also have some new faces as well," she added.This year's show will feature over a dozen unique performances, from solos to group acts, starting at 7 p.m. at the Main Stage."We have some Irish step dancers, which we've never had before, and we have a tap dancing group that will be down on the blacktop. They're very lively, I can't wait for the fair to hear them," Borger said.Stroudsburg's McElligott School of Irish Dance students have invested plenty of practice for an exciting routine, which dancer Erin Connolly said will keep them on their toes during their time off from a multitude of performances surrounding St. Patrick's Day"We've been doing it for about a year. It's a hard-shoe piece, so it's a lot of rhythm, and it incorporates slow dancing and fast dancing. It's very energetic," Connolly said.Guitarist and vocalist Nick Colombo, drummer Chris Dela Cruz, and bassist Keith Staats will take the stage with their band Firelines, which they formed just six months ago."We play mainly alternative music, but we experiment with it sometimes, too," Dela Cruz said of the band, which seems to channel the early-90's heyday of alt-rock, but with a unique twist that makes it their own.Contestants will have to give it their all to get a great score, and that includes impressing the judges, the crowd, and emcee Gary Smith of Gary in the Morning."A lot of the scoring has a lot to do with how the audience reacts when they're on stage," Borger said. "If you go out there and sing your heart out, but you're stiff as a board, your scores won't be that high."First place will take a $350 prize, along with a coveted main stage performance slot on Aug. 25. Second place and third place will take $250 and $150, respectively.Despite what most would consider a nerve-racking experience, the contestants are ready to roll with some awe-inspiring acts."I feel really excited, and I feel like we're ready," Connolly said.

West End Fair's Got Talent will feature plenty of unique and entertaining acts on Sunday evening. Front row: Shayna Fishon, Breanna Fishon, Alycia Torres, middle row: Taylor DeHaven, Heidi Meisenhelder, Morgan Martin, Hayley Bock, back row: Riley Pastor, Brianna Benincasa BRIAN W. MYSZKOWSKI/TIMES NEWS
McElligott School of Irish Dance will put on a special hard-shoe performance for West End Fair's Got Talent. Front to back, left to right: Ashlyn Sparks, Alexander Stratton, Mackenzie Doll, Jennifer Doll, Michelle Quinn, Erin Connolly.
West End Fair's Got Talent will start at 7 p.m. this Sunday at the Main Stage. Front to back, left to right: Alyssa Ramsey, Keiara Dunkley, Mary Lou Behrends, Stephanie Behrends, Firelines: Nick Colombo, Chris Dela Cruz, Keith Staats.