Yellowknife (Sep 05/03) - Inuvik's version of American Idol may be scaled-down compared to the popular TV show, but nonetheless competitive, as the best performers from the Delta compete for $800 in prize money and the bragging rights of being chosen Inuvikian Idol.

Her second time on stage, Annie Thrasher belted out an old Kitty Wells song to capture first place in the Labour Day Talent Show Monday night at the Mad Trapper. - Terry Halifax/NNSL photo

Mad Trapper manager Dave Rogers said the talent show always brings in a big crowd, who really enjoy seeing their friends and family perform.

"It's like a Friday night on a Monday night," Rogers said.

"Everyone's in a good mood, it's a lot of fun and everybody has a good time."

Rogers said most of the contestants have performed on stage before at the Trapper's jam session, but some hit the stage for the first time.

"It's kind of an extension of our Saturday afternoon jam sessions," he said. "It's most of the same faces, but here they compete for prize money."

He says the competition is good-hearted, but not without controversy. The starting line-up is what concerns most performers -- no one wants to be first.

"Once it starts, it starts; no one can jump in after that," Rogers said.

"The people in the show are very particular about who is first and who is last, so we have to draw names from a hat."

"A lot of people find that you have a better chance if you're near the end, when the crowd is all warmed up, or the judges are more keen. Some of them are just superstitious, I suppose." Unlike the Saturday jams, the talent show is judged by three members of the audience.

"We get three volunteers from the audience and they assign points for each performance," Rogers said.

"They meet at the end and add up the scores to determine who wins."

Beverly Arey was one of the three judges at Monday night's show. She said they try to judge based on the performance, but also on the crowd's reaction to the performance.

"I try to see if they are able to carry the tune right from the beginning to end," Arey said.

"It shows if they took the time to practice or if they really like the song."

"Not only by clapping and yahooing, but also if people get up to dance," she said.

Singing an old Kitty Wells song, Annie Thrasher captured the hearts of the judges Monday, making this the first talent show win for her.

The mother of nine first sang in public at the Trapper's Talent Show on New Years Eve.

"I needed Pampers and I needed milk," Thrasher said.

"So I put everything I had into it."

A fan of old country music, she sang an old Hank Williams song she first heard when she was 10-years-old, but she failed to win the big prize.

"The band told me I should have sung louder, so this time I did," she said.

"It's really exciting to win... oh my god..."