Last year’s inaugural Odessa’s Got Talent Fundraiser proved to be such a hit that it’s coming back for a second year this spring.
The fundraiser, which is put on by the Permian Basin Mission Center, is a variety show featuring local residents showcasing their talent and skills.
“We’re thrilled with the great success from last year,” fundraising chair and board member at the Permian Basin Mission Center Cristy Batte said. “We’ve had a lot of people already reaching out to find out if we were going to do it again and we definitely are. We’re thrilled to be bringing it back.”
One major difference is that this year’s Odessa’s Got Talent will take place earlier in the spring rather than in the middle of the summer like last year. This year’s show is scheduled for 7 p.m. April 29 at First Odessa. “We moved it up to the spring because we had some feedback that there was some conflicts with people being out of town and whatnot,” Batte said. “So we moved it up to the spring so that more people could be available.”
The talent show will once again feature 16 contestants, split up into a youth division and an adult division. Those who wish to audition for the show can do so virtually at tinyurl.com/yc2jxzut.
People wanting to participate will do so by recording a current video of them performing their act (with a maximum of five minutes) before completing the registration form and then uploading their video.
Auditions are open until April 3.
Finalists will be announced April 6 and will perform at the live event with a chance to compete for $9,000 in prize money. There will also be a People’s Choice Award which is $1,000 that people can vote for online as soon as the finalists are announced.
“The format will be the same,” Batte said. “We expect a wide-variety of talent. Last year, we had bands to hula hoops to guitar soloists. We’re hoping for the same kind of variety. We ended up with a really great show so we welcome all sorts of variety and hope to make it a great show.”
Batte said last year’s show raised around $80,000. This year, they’re hoping to raise $95,000.
“We definitely exceeded our budget last year so this year, we’ve increased our budget,” Batte said.
The show will feature three different judges including Sarah Johnson, Shelby Landgraf and Eric Baker.
“We had a lot of guys really enjoy it last year,” Batte said. “We had contestants enjoy being on stage and being able to show their talent and the audience really seemed to enjoy it. It was a good show and we’re proud of Odessans and surrounding communities that came out and represented.”
The Permian Basin Mission Center is a local resource center for those in need. Batte stressed that this is their only fundraiser of the year.
“The Permian Basin Mission Center provides emergency food boxes to clients in need,” Batte said. “They also help supplement rent and utility needs and there’s also a clothing store where they provide free clothing to anyone that needs it and other essentials.”
More information about Odessa’s Got Talent and the Permian Basin Mission Center can be found at tinyurl.com/3vbxt2mx.
If you go
- What: Odessa’s Got Talent.
- When: 7 p.m. April 29.
- Where: First Baptist Church, 709 N. Lee Ave.
- Where to audition: tinyurl.com/yc2jxzut
