This showstopping performance won the 2023 Bill Riley Talent Search at the Iowa State Fair
Elle Clark wasn’t thinking about her performance as a competition.
When she stuck the high note in Barbra Streisand’s showstopper, “Don’t Rain on my Parade,” she truly forgot about the judges and the prize money and the other acts in the Bill Riley Talent Search. She just sang.
She sang mostly for her family — her dad, Brody, “her biggest supporter,” who was wearing a shirt covered in her photos — and for her friends — who traveled down from Humboldt on one of the hottest days of the summer to be in the crowd cheering.
“I wanted to show everyone what I had,” Clark said. “I just kept thinking, 'This is a moment. This is what I love to do. This is what I want to do forever.' And I gave it my all.”
And the judges agreed. After 80 qualifying shows and 10 days of finalist competitions at the Iowa State Fair, Clark, a musical theater vocalist from Humboldt County, was named champion of the 63rd Annual Bill Riley Talent Search. Four other acts were also honored with ribbons, and seven “sprouts,” performers 12 and under, were named as champions.
In just her second year competing in the Talent Search, Elle’s combination of humility and confidence put her above the other “very intense” talent on the stage, host Bill Riley Jr. said.
“When you get to the level where they are, there are just little nuances that separate each act,” he said. “We could run this same show, this exact same show, tomorrow and the results, not could be different, they would be different.”
For State Fair CEO Jeremy Parsons, the Talent Search is just one more opportunity for young people to showcase what makes them unique.
“The Iowa State Fair is a celebration of all the best in our state,” he said. “And whether that's the livestock shows or events like Bill Riley Talent, this is all about youth showing off their very best here.”
When her name was called, Clark was nearly hyperventilating. And, holding her trophy, she couldn't contain her tears — especially when she saw her dad and his shirt.
“It’s that sense of all the hard work has paid off and making my family and my friends proud,” she said, her voice catching.
Clark hopes to be singing showstoppers long after her Riley performance. This fall, she’ll attend Iowa Central Community College to study theater.
And she doesn’t have much time to waste, she said with a smile: Classes start next week.
Bill Riley Talent Search Senior Division placements
First place, winning $10,000: Elle Clark, of Humboldt, for a vocal performance.
Second place, winning $5,000: Lucy Gannon, of West Des Moines, for a piano solo.
Third place, winning $2,500: Claire Southard and Andre Johnson, of Des Moines, for a contemporary dance duet.
Fourth place, winning $1,000: Lauren Carney, of Parkersburg, with her musical theater vocal solo.
Fifth place, winning $750: Nelley Pelzer, James Brown, Kylie Templeton and Drayce Moore, of Atlantic, for their clogging quartet.
Sprout champions
Reese Freml, of Johnston, tap solo.
Mya Burns, of Sioux City, vocal solo.
Michael Smith, of Waterloo, vocal solo.
Katelynn Larson, of West Des Moines, lyrical solo.
Abby Lorch, of North Liberty, violin solo.
Vivian Speck, of Dayton, vocal solo.
Ethan Larsen, of Ankeny, Rubik's Cube solver.
Courtney Crowder, the Register's Iowa Columnist, traverses the state's 99 counties telling Iowans' stories. Her State Fair food must-get is the Bauder's Peppermint Bar. Don't be ashamed to have seconds! Reach her at ccrowder@dmreg.com or 515-284-8360. Follow her on Twitter @courtneycare.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State Fair: Who won the Bill Riley Talent Search? Full results
