The third annual Crowsnest Pass Idol will be deferred until September, as not enough participants entered the contest.
The singing contest, which was first started in spring 2011, was set to begin on Saturday, March 23rd but was called off due to a lack of participants.
Only three people signed up for the competition this year.
The contest is put on by the Blairmore Legion in a five week duration period, consisting of a series of performances by participants.
President of the Blairmore Legion, Paul Kenny said that the deferral of Idol was a large disappointment.
“I’m disappointed because of the volunteer time spent,” he said. “But September may be a better time as everyone should be back from summer holidays and looking for some activity.”
Kenny suggests that a main reason so few people signed up this year was because now is a hard time of the year to commit time for so many weeks.
“A lot of people are away or busy with the rodeo or Easter,” Kenny said.
Organizers of Idol plan to get more participation by finding nonlocal judges, perhaps ones with more experience in the Fort Macleod or Fernie area.
No other community in the area run an Idol show.
Kenny said that the Idol contest was well attended last year, and he did not expect the surprising turn of events to occur this year.
Jeff Chambers won Crowsnest Pass Idol last year, with Kayla Valiquette winning first place in 2011.
“There is a lot of young talent available in Southern Alberta and exposure would add to their efforts,” said Kenny.
The grand prize for Crowsnest Pass Idol is $2,000 for the first place winner. Anyone can sign up for the contest between now and September.
k of participants causes Pass Idol to be deferred until September
