Amanda Riffe

The 30th Annual Texaco Country Showdown local competition concluded on Saturday, naming Amanda Riffe as the winner. America’s largest country music talent search and radio promotion was conducted at the Montgomery County 4-H Fair. This win marks completion of the first step in the prestigious national contest.

Riffe’s combination of musical talent, stage presence, charisma, musicianship and originality caught the attention of judges including, Eric Barr from The Local Thunder show on WIMC, Tony Ham, guitarist from the Steve Trent Band, and Marsha Smith, local music educator.




On Aug. 20 at the Indiana State Fair, Riffe will advance to the state final of the Texaco Country Showdown vying for $1,000, and the opportunity to perform at one of five regional competitions in the fall. Regional winners will receive an all expenses paid trip to the National Final, exuding talent and energy in their performance to compete for the $100,000 Grand Prize and the National Title.

Riffe is from Rockville and attends Indiana State University where she is working hard toward her career goals in special and elementary education and music. Her favorite artists include Martina McBride and Stevie Wonder. This is not the first singing competition Riffe has won, she won Wabash Valley Idol in 2008, and she was the local winner in the 2009 Colgate County Showdown. She has sung the National Anthem for the Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, Indianapolis Indians, Indiana Pacers, and at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, not to mention dozens of local events.

The Texaco Country Showdown also featured second place winner, Richard Goodall; third place winner, Abbey Velez; Southern Comfort, Meagan Baker, Jodie Buis, Kristin Natalie and Erica Lynn Garbens.

Now in its 30th year, the Texaco Country Showdown finds the most promising country music talent in America, giving these performers a chance to launch a professional career. Nearly $200,000 in cash prizes is awarded to the thousands of aspiring artists who compete each year. Nationwide, two million fans will experience the Texaco Country Showdown via hundreds of live shows and nationally syndicated television and radio broadcasts.
- Journal Review

The site of the new Montgomery County Fairgrounds will be filled with activity Saturday with the July Jamboree.

A motocross race begins at

1 p.m. and then Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Ty Herndon will be perform a concert at 9:45 p.m. Saturday.

If the public would like to race, registration is at 11 a.m. with a $15 entry fee. There will be race groups, ages 4 up to adults, special events chairman Loren Coon.

For those only interested in watching the motocross race, tickets are $12. General admission tickets for the concert and tickets to watch the race tickets are $22. Priority seating for the concert is $50.

All the activity takes place at the site of the future fairgrounds near U.S. 231 and Interstate 74.

“There will be posters telling people where to go,” Coon said. “The race and concert will go on rain or shine, heat or cold.”

Coon said there will be food vendors and plenty of refreshments available.

Amanda Riffe of Rockville, who is the Texaco Country Showdown winner, will open for Herndon. She attends Indiana State University, where she is studying elementary and special education with a minor in music. She said singing is her biggest passion.

Herndon has had three No.1 hit singles: “What Matters the Most,” “Loving in a Moment” and “It Must Be Love.” His current album, Journey On, is an inspirational-country album with a strong Christian element.

According to his website, Journey On was the most personal project of Herndon’s career yet. It was his first go at song writing.

Herndon’s concert is part of a Midwest and West Coast tour during which he will perform more than 120 shows. His stop in Montgomery County will be the tour’s halfway mark.

Herndon was raised in Butle, Ala., and has been entertaining since he was 17 years old.

“My grandmother ran a radio station in southern Alabama,” Herndon said. “I would go to her station and play and sing for her. She continued to run the radio station until she was 80 years old.”

He said that was how he began singing and playing bluegrass.

Herndon competed on the first season of “Star Search” and was a winner in the male-vocalist category.

In 1993, he was named Texas Entertainer of the Year. He has recorded a total of nine albums and sold 4 million copies.

Tickets are available at Tractor Supply and Wabash Valley Feed and Western Wear at Lafayette and Thrifty Supply and the fairgrounds in Crawfordsville.

For more information or directions, call Loren Coon at 366-5988.

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- Journal Review

The next American Idol could be Amanda Riffe of Rockville, who was named the first Wabash Valley Idol at the Vigo County Fair on Wednesday.

“I was nervous,” Riffe said. “I was going to be happy anyway because it was a good experience.”

More than 1,000 people turned out for the first Wabash Valley Idol contest sponsored by B102.7 FM, a Crossroads Communications station.

To become the winner, Riffe, 17, first had to audition last month for three judges for a “golden ticket.” The golden ticket was a pass for her audition to be posted on B102.7’s Web site so that people could vote online until June 30 for the top 10 performers of the 35 that were posted.

The top 10 performed at the fair Wednesday and the judges narrowed it down to the best three contestants, who then each performed another song. After the three performances, audience members voted on a ScanTron for their favorite.

Nerves were a factor a little bit at the competition, she said, “but when I got on stage it was really fun with a lot of energy from the audience.”

Riffe received $500 and an all-expenses paid trip to the Louisville audition site of “American Idol” on July 21. She sang “Anyway” by Martina McBride for her first song and “Born to Fly” by Sara Evans for her second song.

“Anyway” was the same song Riffe performed for her audition piece to land her a spot on the station’s Web site.

Her voice coach accompanied her to the first audition in the Hilton Garden Inn, but Riffe said she’s not sure if she’s going to go to Louisville. Riffe has been taking singing lessons for about 10 years now, she said.

She said she hasn’t decided what song she’s going to sing for Simon, Paula and Randy, but it could be “Anyway.” She said she’s already nervous.

“I was really nervous in front of the three local judges,” Riffe said, “so I can only imagine what it’s going to be like [in Louisville].”

“It went really well,” said Doug Edge, general manager of Crossroads Communications. “The crowd was really into it. They stayed throughout the whole performance.”

The contest started at 7 p.m. and didn’t wrap up until about 10, he said.

Volunteers from Ivy Tech Community College tabulated the votes to determine the winner.

Edge said with such a great turnout for the performance and the large participation for the contest, it could become an annual event — as long as “American Idol” airs.

Crystal Garcia can be reached at (812) 231-4271 or crystal.garcia@tribstar.com. - Tribune Star