Fort Liard (Nov 15/04) - After four round trips driving to Yellowknife and back, Fort Liard's Fawn Fritzen brought home the title of North of 60 Idol and the top prize of a trip for two to Disneyland in California.

North of 60 Idol 2 winner Fawn Fritzen and runner-up Mackenzie Pope embrace at the Royal Canadian Legion in Yellowknife. - Jennifer Geens/NNSL photo

"Saturday I was still stunned," said Fritzen. "Sunday we were busy driving home. It wasn't until Monday that I thought 'Oh wow!'"

Some of her other prizes were an ounce of gold and a discount card to a restaurant in Yellowknife -- she'll be giving that to the friends who put her and her husband up for four weekends.

She'll be trading the gold for extra spending cash on the trip.

But more than the prizes, Fritzen appreciates all the new friends she made through the competition.

"The competitors were so warm and friendly to each other," she said.

Fellow Idol hopeful Brenda Lowen was particularly helpful. Lowen runs her own karaoke business at another bar in Yellowknife and helped Fritzen find suitable backing tracks for her performances.

After driving to Yellowknife on Fridays, Fritzen would spend the evening practising at the Legion's open karaoke night.

Fritzen's performances were remarkable for their range. She dabbled in just about every musical genre, from country (Stand By Your Man) to jazz (Peel Me a Grape) to musical theatre (On My Own).

Well-wishers have been dropping by the hamlet office in Fort Liard to talk to her husband Michael Pealow, the economic development officer. And her six-year-old piano student asked her mother if Fritzen was a movie star. After all, why else would she be in the newspaper?

People are also asking how come they've never heard her sing in Fort Liard.

"I'm surprised if nobody's heard me sing here," said Fritzen.

Now she's pondering whether she should try going professional. The last time she thought about making a career in music was when she was 16. She had also just been in a singing competition then.

Though she didn't place, she got a call from an agent. But she had already planned a trip to Germany, so she let the music thing drop.

"I didn't take it seriously after that," she said. After the reaction of the judges and the audience, she's thinking of recording a demo.

But for now, the next thing on her agenda is to get over to the craft shop and buy postcards of Fort Liard to send out as thank-yous -- and scrapbook all her pictures and press clippings.