Thank you for supporting the stars

To the editor:
On Saturday, a pair of dancers, Jamie Harshman and Jamie Razo, billed as Jamie Squared, won the grand prize in Jay County Chamber of Commerce’s third year of Stars in the Park, a talent competition featuring local talent, judged by local judges and an audience made up of friends and neighbors.
As children many of us put on “shows,” performing in our living rooms, dining rooms or even kitchens depending where our family audience was at the time. Working on Stars in the Park brought out the same kind of fun that each of us felt when we were kids doing the same thing.
On behalf of Jay County Chamber of Commerce, I wish to thank and acknowledge those involved in this summer’s event. The chamber’s Stars in the Park committee of Samantha Thomas – show director; judges - Karen Meiring, Jan Rittenhouse, Patty Stahl, Dolphus Stephens, Barb Lennertz, Jessica Murdock and David Shauver; facilities – Toneta and Allen Bailey; concessions – Natalie McIntire, Deb VanSkyock, Wanda Eley, Jordon Roberts, Sally Conwell, Kristi Inman, Lori Taylor and Rebecca Zimmerman; ticket sales – Pat Jellison and June Sanders; balloting - Pam Rogers; sound production – Chuck Rohrer Audio. They were all instrumental in pulling off the five nights of great entertainment.
Quarterfinal sponsors: The Jay County Visitors and Tourism Bureau and Karmen Wards State Farm Insurance Agency. Semifinal sponsors: Baird Freeman Funeral Home and Raymond James Associates. Finals sponsor: Moser Motors of Portland. Plus donations from Briskets and Butts Bar-B-Que Supply; Fire and Brimstone Pizza Company by Harmony Catering; Fisher Meats; Pak-A-Sak; Citizen’s State Bank; Progressive Office Supplies and Locker’s Touch of Country Gifts allowed us to put together an outstanding production.
Ryan Myers and the City of Portland employees worked hard to groom the beautiful amphitheater at Hudson Family Park and make each event special. Thank you to WPGW and WZBD for their media sponsorship, publicity and marketing efforts. Thanks to The Commercial Review for coverage of each of the events.
Thank you to Melanie Parker, president of Hartford City Chamber of Commerce, and her marketing assistant Diane Bustos as well as Melissa Skinner, executive director of Berne Chamber of Commerce for hosting two of our quarterfinal events in their communities this year. Adding these communities increased the reach of Stars in the Park and gave us a bigger variety of talent.
The talent and time given by Ron Freeman as emcee over the five evenings was not only professional but highly entertaining, making a smooth transition from one performer to the next.
Our five special guest performers: Lott Holmes, Garrett Blackford, Levi Driskell, past winner Holly Rittenhouse and husband Dillon Ford plus last year’s winner, 13-year-old Gabe Bailey, entertained the audience during intermissions and while contestant balloting took place. They added to each night’s total event, helped the productions move smoothly and selflessly elevated the entertainment delivered to the audience.
And thank you to the Stars in the Park contestants. Thank you for sharing your incredible talents and having the courage to stand in front of an audience and give your best. Thank you for your humility in winning and more importantly your grace when you weren’t chosen to continue. Thank you for maintaining a high standard for Stars in the Park that we hope to continue.
Finally, thank you to the Jay County community for embracing this event. Thank you for being gracious to all of the contestants. Every contestant was welcomed with enthusiasm, given rapt attention and acknowledged for their performance. A critical part of every good performance is how the audience receives it. Truly the Stars in the Park audience made it easy for every contestant to perform at their best.
Stars in the Park is one of those special events that you look forward to and mourn just a little when it is over. But it also in one that causes you to look forward to “the next time.”
We hope you remember the outstanding performances and the beautiful evenings, and also look forward to joining us again when we gather next year at Hudson Family Park for next year’s Stars in the Park.
John Boggs
Stars in the Park Committee chairman