An Evening of Entertainment

Last night, at the Hillcrest High School Performing Arts Center, we watched some extraordinarily talented young men and women. Hillcrest held a talent show as a benefit for the Halford family who’s son was injured in a snowmobile accident this winter. As I sat there, enthralled by the amazing talent of these young people, I couldn’t help thinking of the criticism thrown at teens today about their addiction to sitting around watching tv, playing video games, etc. One can only imagine the amount of time and effort that went into these performances. These young people are indeed talented, however, talent without work is often wasted and left untouched. These young men and women had obviously spent hundreds of hours honing their talents, practicing until the performance was flawless.

On top of the dedication and discipline, we must add courage - the courage to stand in front of their peers, their friends and their families and put it all on the line. Live entertainment has a magic that comes from the performer standing on the edge of a precipice of failure with disaster waiting to grab them by the neck and pull them down. Forgotten lyrics, missed notes, botched arrangements all are specters that hover about waiting to take down the unsuspecting performer. And yet, they all rose above the fear. Undaunted, they went on and with an air of professionalism, provided the audience with an evening of unparalleled entertainment.
Katie and Jake, my daughter and son, were members of this ensemble of talented youngsters. Katie played guitar and Jake played the bongos. They sang "I’ll Follow You Into The Dark" and, since I am an unbiased and impartial judge, I’ll admit they were the best of the show. At least, they got the longest ovation. In addition to Katie and Jake, there were several pianists, a young woman who played the harp and sang, several other guitarist who all exhibited excellent talent, three violinists, a singing group with piano and violin accompaniment, a ballroom dance duo, there was even a re enactment of the Mario Bros. That is just a partial list of the wonderful acts that we were privileged to see.

In conclusion, let me say live entertainment is alive and well in Idaho Falls and these young people represent our future, not only in the world of entertainment, but, I would venture a guess and say that they represent our future in all areas. I am proud of all of them for their courage, commitment to excellence, and discipline in setting goals and accomplishing them. They are young men and women we can all be proud of.