FRANKLIN, Pa. (EYT) — The 9th Annual Taste of Talent Vocal Competition will begin on Wednesday, June 20, and this year’s contestants are gearing up for what is sure to be an exciting event.

The event, which begins on Wednesday, June 20, will feature a plethora of talent from across the Venango County, as well as a few faces from beyond.

The Franklin Fine Arts Council is proud to announce the following contestants for the 2018 Taste of Talent Vocal Competition:

Christian Agnew – Oil City

Christian Agnew recently moved to Oil City from North Carolina. He has had a love for music and art from a very young age. He won his High School Talent Show in 2014. He was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome at the age of three.

Ashleigh Bennett – Franklin

Ashleigh Bennett moved to Franklin a few years ago and has been performing regularly since 2017. She is a singer and songwriter. She teaches instruments and voice at Porch Music Store.

Hagan Cook – Franklin

Hagan Cook is just your basic small town 19-year-old country guy. He enjoys hunting, fishing, and anything outdoors. He is in his sophomore year of college. Occasionally, he enjoys sharing his God given-ability to perform a little country music for anyone willing to listen.

Timothy Craver – Franklin

Tim Craver graduated from Franklin High School in 2009 and began singing in public about a year ago. His musical tastes range from Metallica to Garth Brooks, hitting just about any artist in between, but he’s a country boy at heart. When he’s not working, you can usually find him hanging out with friends at a young adults group or singing at the Moose in Franklin or Last Call in Oil City.

Kiara Gabler – Leeper

Kiara Gabler is 17 years old. She sings, plays guitar, and composes music. Along with her love of performing whenever possible, Kara wants to become a nurse.

Scott Kennedy – Franklin

Scott Kennedy has been singing his entire life, and he believes music is a universal language and is a huge part of his life. He has been in several competitions such as Taste of Talent 2016, Moose has talent, and currently C93 Radio’s Traveling Karaoke Contest. He runs Going My Way Taxi Service. He was in Acapella Choir for four years and Mixed Ensemble Jazz Choir for one year under the direction of Steve Luxbacher at OCHS.

Joe Lillard – Oil City

Joseph Lillard has been performing for the last few years. He graduated from Clarion University this year with a teaching degree and will soon be married to the love of his life. He loves music, children, sports, being outdoors, and helping others.

Beth Ann Proudfoot – Franklin

Beth Ann Proudfoot is a Franklin native with over 25 years of experience in singing, dancing, choreographing, and entertaining. She is a Family Group Coordinator, serves on the Board of Directors for Grace Learning Center, lead singer in the band CareyOn, and a proud mother.

Connor Rayman — Denton, TX (formerly of Franklin)

Connor Rayman is a Vocal Performance major at the University of North Texas. He was born in Franklin, Pennsylvania, and lived there for a while before moving to Denton, Texas, where he currently lives. He very excited to perform for the great people in Franklin and hopes that he can give them a performance to remember.

Jordan Rembold – Franklin

Jordan Rembold has a passion for music and is beyond excited to be joining this year’s ensemble of Taste of Talent. He graduated from Clarion University with a degree in Musical Theater. He hopes that his voice will be appreciated and inspiring to all the fans.

Brianna Schwab – Sligo

Brianna Schwab is a recent graduate of Clarion Area High School where she was a member of Clarion Singers, senior high choir, and senior high marching, concert, jazz, pep, and adjudication honors band. She went to PMEA District 3 Choir and placed 12th chair out of 33 sopranos. She plays guitar, trumpet, and a little piano. She will be attending nursing school in the fall.

Josie Skibinski – Grove City

Josie Skibinski graduated this year from Grove City High School. Her first-grade teacher inspired her to sing by asking her to perform the National Anthem at a school assembly. She loves to sing and dreams of going to Nashville. She plans to attend Slippery Rock University and majoring in recreational therapy.

About the competition

Competitions will be held on Wednesdays, June 20, 27; July 11, 18, 25 at 7:00 p.m.

Semi-finals will take place on Saturday, August 4, at 7:00 p.m.

The finals will be held Sunday, August 5, at 4:00 p.m. immediately following Taste of Franklin.

The winner of the competition will receive $1,000.00 sponsored by Bob and Kim Lefrancois.

Prize monies totaling $200.00 ($100.00 cash and a $100.00 Franklin retail gift certificate) will be awarded to the three semi-finalists. There will also be some additional surprises this year.

The Taste of Talent competition has been a huge success in past years with audiences of 800 to 1400.