Local talent wows crowds at Larchmont Family Fair
Four years ago, Betsy Malloy of Larchmont Blvd.’s Coldwell Banker came up with an idea that she thought would add some spark and energy to the annual Larchmont Family Fair: to hold a local talent competition.
“A talent show would make a lot of noise and has built-in entertainment,” explained Malloy.
WINNERS Hazel Armenante and Hazel Sepenuk.
The Larchmont Blvd. Association was on board, as well as sponsors Paramount Pictures and Coldwell Banker. So, in 2010, Larchmont’s Got Talent was born.
Local performers immediately signed up, excited to finally have an arena to show off their talents. They included singers, dancers, comedians, poets and contortionists.
Each October has been a learning curve, but Betsy believes the show just keeps getting better and stronger, and she hopes that it continues to grow in the years ahead.
Originally, Malloy took on most of the coordination duties herself, but this year she brought in several others to help, including Jim Bloomfield, an acupuncturist with Larchmont Traditional Medicine. Jim ran this year’s try-outs, which took place one week in advance of the competition, as well as acted as the stage manager and dealt with the recording and sound engineering the day of the event. “I could not believe some of these kids’ voices at the auditions,” said Bloomfield. “They were hauntingly beautiful.”
Having grown up in a small suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, Bloomfield is thrilled that a big city fair offers a local talent event for the community. “It’s nice to have this type of event in the neighborhood… the kids are truly excited for each other. And many of them know each other. To see them supporting and rooting for each other is really quite special.”
Any age can compete
The prize money isn’t chump change, either. First place wins $500, second receives $300, and third place takes home $200. For this year’s event, there were 16 contestants on the docket. Any age can compete, although no adults took part in this year’s competition.
Ten-year-old Hazel Sepenuk captured first place with an energetic song and tap number from the Broadway classic “Oklahoma!” Second place was awarded to eight-year-old Hazel Armenante, who sang an original piece with her guitar, titled “Today.” Third place went to a crowd-pleasing group of Christ the King School nine-year-old friends (Andrew Lin, Leandro Joaquin, Jared Lantin, Marc Luzuriaga, Mason Oh), who donned Darth Vader costumes and hit the floor to Psy’s “Gangnam Style.”
After helping out this year for the first time, Bloomfield is already full of new ideas and looking forward to next year’s competition. “It was exciting for me to be with the kids,” he says, “and it was really fun to help out.
What else can I say? No one else is getting that job!!”
Category: People
