A pair of Mission performers are top 10 finalists in this weekend’s Variety’s Got Talent show.
Mission’s Jonah Weisner, 13, and Deroche’s Annika Kraakman, 15, will be competing against eight other young entertainers Feb. 9 at River Rock Casino.
Judges for the final showdown include promoter Bruce Allen, country music duo One More Girl, Shannon Tweed-Simmons, wife of KISS band member Gene Simmons, and Global TV’s Steve Darling.
The winner of the competition will perform on the Variety Show of Hearts telethon, happening the following weekend.
“My grandpa always sang through his whole life and when I was two, I sang Pass Me By — his favourite song — so he inspired me to carry on the tradition of performing,” said Meisner.
He has been performing locally for the past number of months.
Kraakman is a Grade 10 student at Hatzic Secondary School and has been entering competitions for the last few years, including the Mission Optimist talent show, and the B.C. Junior Talent Search. She also had the opportunity to sing last spring at a gala in Merritt in front of Michelle Wright.
For more information on Variety – The Children’s Charity and Variety’s Got Talent, visit variety.bc.ca.