Washington Nashville Country Star contestants to perform in Othello

OTHELLO — Two Grant County seniors will be performing at the Ironworks Cafe & Market in Othello on Saturday. Zoe Butler of Warden and Olivia Kinzle of Moses Lake are two of five performers headlining the event. Other performers include Chloe Forsyth and Riley Bergan, of East Wenatchee, and Jayden Salazar, of Kennewick. Guest singer will be Kimberly Sanders.

The students competed in Washington State Nashville Country Star, a singing competition for high school students from across the state. The competition was started in 2004 by Ed Lisenbey, formerly of Okanogan, according to the competition’s website. Lisenbey started the competition as a way for students from Okanogan and Omak to have a chance to perform for an audience.

In 2010, the competition was opened up to high school students from all across the state. Currently, over 350 high schools are invited to participate.

Students are required to sing songs from today’s pop and country, classic country, gospel, ’50s and ’60s rock-and-roll and pop and doo-wop genres. The winner of the competition receives $1,500, with runners-up receiving anywhere from $150 to $750, depending on final placement. The Washington State Nashville Country Star Championship Final took place on March 30 at the Omak Performing Arts Center.

The Washington State Nashville Country Star performers will be performing at the Ironworks Cafe & Market, 335 S. Broadway Ave. in Othello, on Saturday, May 11 at 6 p.m. Admission is $7.

Rachal Pinkerton may be reached via email at rpinkerton@suntribunenews.com.