Tawna Goforth

(Tawna Mosiman, 20 of Sedgwick, sings “Anyway” to take the Newton Idol finals in Athletic Park Sunday night. She won $250. Emily Pomeroy won second place and $100, and Braidyn Rucker won third place and $50. Other finalists included Monica Sosa and Adam Chamberlain.)

NEWTON —

A crowd spent Sunday afternoon and evening enjoying a marathon of music in Athletic Park as the 25th annual Chisholm Trail Festival came to a close.

The Summer Sunday of Music event, featuring more than eight hours of both local and national music, drew a large audience to the park’s bandshell area, as acts such as Maddijo, Ray Nicodemus, Sonlit, Article One, Mike Burns, Decypher Down, Building 429 and Superchick entertained the audience and drew people in to town from cities such as Abilene, El Dorado and Wichita, and from states such as Colorado and Oklahoma.

Pandea Smith, festival board chairperson, said while it was difficult to count the crowd, festival staff is “pretty confident” there were more than 2,000 people during the evening portion from 8 p.m. and later. In the afternoon, Smith said there were about 1,200 to 1,500 people at the music festival.

The event was organized by Rob Britton of NextGen Productions.

Smith said she heard someone say that “Rob Britton sure knows how to throw a party,” and she said that was a pretty accurate statement.

“It was very successful,” she said. “He got the word out. He did a great job.”In the midst of the music festival, a new Newton Idol was crowned, as Tawna Mosiman took first place, with Emily Pomeroy in second and Braidyn Rucker in third. - Newton Kansan- Cari Cusick- July 6, 2009

(Tawna Mosiman, 20 of Sedgwick, sings “Anyway” to take the Newton Idol finals in Athletic Park Sunday night. She won $250. Emily Pomeroy won second place and $100, and Braidyn Rucker won third place and $50. Other finalists included Monica Sosa and Adam Chamberlain.)

NEWTON —

A crowd spent Sunday afternoon and evening enjoying a marathon of music in Athletic Park as the 25th annual Chisholm Trail Festival came to a close.

The Summer Sunday of Music event, featuring more than eight hours of both local and national music, drew a large audience to the park’s bandshell area, as acts such as Maddijo, Ray Nicodemus, Sonlit, Article One, Mike Burns, Decypher Down, Building 429 and Superchick entertained the audience and drew people in to town from cities such as Abilene, El Dorado and Wichita, and from states such as Colorado and Oklahoma.

Pandea Smith, festival board chairperson, said while it was difficult to count the crowd, festival staff is “pretty confident” there were more than 2,000 people during the evening portion from 8 p.m. and later. In the afternoon, Smith said there were about 1,200 to 1,500 people at the music festival.

The event was organized by Rob Britton of NextGen Productions.

Smith said she heard someone say that “Rob Britton sure knows how to throw a party,” and she said that was a pretty accurate statement.

“It was very successful,” she said. “He got the word out. He did a great job.”In the midst of the music festival, a new Newton Idol was crowned, as Tawna Mosiman took first place, with Emily Pomeroy in second and Braidyn Rucker in third. - Newton Kansan- Cari Cusick- July 6, 2009

Meanwhile, just across the park, the line of hopeful singers continued to advance toward their moment in the spotlight.

A few others who made it through to the next round included; Sydney Mathews, Brady Walker and Tawna Goforth.

For Mathews, the second time is a charm, as this was the second time she has auditioned for Idol.

"I'm really excited that I made it," she said. "I still can't believe this is really happening. Walker has been singing ever since he could talk. For his audition he sang "You" by Chris Young and it earned him a wristband too. He hopes that his experience with American Idol will help him reach his dream of making a living from singing country.

Goforth is no stranger to performing, she is in a band called Turnback Creek, which performs across southwest Kansas. While she waits for information to come about the next round, she said she's just going to keep doing what she's doing, and try to keep her mouth shut.

"It's gonna be really hard though!" she said.

By the end of the day, a few other hopefuls were given wristbands and began planning what to sing and what to wear to the next round of auditions.

And hundreds of other hopeful songbirds will just have to wait for next year's - Dodge City Globe- August 24, 2012

Meanwhile, just across the park, the line of hopeful singers continued to advance toward their moment in the spotlight.

A few others who made it through to the next round included; Sydney Mathews, Brady Walker and Tawna Goforth.

For Mathews, the second time is a charm, as this was the second time she has auditioned for Idol.

"I'm really excited that I made it," she said. "I still can't believe this is really happening. Walker has been singing ever since he could talk. For his audition he sang "You" by Chris Young and it earned him a wristband too. He hopes that his experience with American Idol will help him reach his dream of making a living from singing country.

Goforth is no stranger to performing, she is in a band called Turnback Creek, which performs across southwest Kansas. While she waits for information to come about the next round, she said she's just going to keep doing what she's doing, and try to keep her mouth shut.

"It's gonna be really hard though!" she said.

By the end of the day, a few other hopefuls were given wristbands and began planning what to sing and what to wear to the next round of auditions.

And hundreds of other hopeful songbirds will just have to wait for next year's - Dodge City Globe- August 24, 2012

“Waiting for an 'Idol'”

People stood around an orange safety fence cheering on friends and family. They watched as judges -not televised "Idol" judges Randy Jackson or Mariah Carey - offered critiques. Four contestants would line up at a time to perform, one after the other, sandwiched between the judges' folding table and the "American Idol" tour bus.

Tawna Goforth, 23, was auditioning for the fifth time. She has previously auditioned in San Antonio, Dallas, Denver and Kansas City.

She sings in the country band Turnback Creek, which has played in Hutchinson. When she heard about the auditions in Dodge City, she decided to give it a shot.

"It was close, so I decided why not," she said.

She belted out the song "Baggage Claim" by Miranda Lambert.

The Sedgwick native who now lives in Wichita had a wide grin as judges put a green wristband on her wrist - she'd made it into the next round.

"This is my fifth time," she shouted as she walked past a cheering crowd.

She also was congratulated by new friend Marquasha Robinson, 17, of Dodge City, who stood next to her in line for about two hours.

Robinson was excited to audition, singing Kelly Clarkson's "Because of You." Robinson has been a fan of the show since the first season, which Clarkson won.

Now it was Robinson's turn to try out. She didn't make the cut, but she was happy for the experience.

"You don't want to spend your whole life wondering," she said.

Auditions began at 9 a.m. and were scheduled to go until 4 p.m.

The bus will end its tour in Grand Junction, Colo., sometime next week.
- Hutchinson News- Kristen Roderick- August 24, 2012

“Waiting for an 'Idol'”

People stood around an orange safety fence cheering on friends and family. They watched as judges -not televised "Idol" judges Randy Jackson or Mariah Carey - offered critiques. Four contestants would line up at a time to perform, one after the other, sandwiched between the judges' folding table and the "American Idol" tour bus.

Tawna Goforth, 23, was auditioning for the fifth time. She has previously auditioned in San Antonio, Dallas, Denver and Kansas City.

She sings in the country band Turnback Creek, which has played in Hutchinson. When she heard about the auditions in Dodge City, she decided to give it a shot.

"It was close, so I decided why not," she said.

She belted out the song "Baggage Claim" by Miranda Lambert.

The Sedgwick native who now lives in Wichita had a wide grin as judges put a green wristband on her wrist - she'd made it into the next round.

"This is my fifth time," she shouted as she walked past a cheering crowd.

She also was congratulated by new friend Marquasha Robinson, 17, of Dodge City, who stood next to her in line for about two hours.

Robinson was excited to audition, singing Kelly Clarkson's "Because of You." Robinson has been a fan of the show since the first season, which Clarkson won.

Now it was Robinson's turn to try out. She didn't make the cut, but she was happy for the experience.

"You don't want to spend your whole life wondering," she said.

Auditions began at 9 a.m. and were scheduled to go until 4 p.m.

The bus will end its tour in Grand Junction, Colo., sometime next week.
- Hutchinson News- Kristen Roderick- August 24, 2012

About 700 people auditioned for the one-day event in Dodge City for a chance to compete on Season 12 of American Idol.

"It's here. It's close, [You] might as well take a chance again," said Tawna Goforth, 23, from Sedgwick.

Goforth has been auditioning for the show since she was 17.

She was excited to hear that the “American Idol Small Town Audition Bus Tour" included Dodge City.

"I think it's so cool that they are going into the heart of the towns to kind of see the people that are working at their dream. You know, they may not be able to go to the big towns and make the audition," she said.

Although smaller crowds came out to watch and fewer people tried out, the audition was similar to those in bigger cities. Each contestant received less than a minute to impress the show's senior producers.

"It was kind of nerve racking," said Goforth.

The show allows auditions from people 15 to 28 years of age. Unfortunately, nerves got the best of some of the younger contestants.

"People you see on TV have so much confidence but then you get up there and you're just like, 'It's really scary,'" said Sydney Torrez, 15, from Dodge City.

The show's senior producers explained what they were looking for from contestants.

"Strong vocals, good performance, presence. There's a lot of things but at the same time, we're not looking for anything specific. We feel like that limits us," said Norm Betts, senior producer for American Idol.

Goforth along with Davie Fischer from Cimarron made it to the second round, where they will audition in front of the executive producers.

If they make it through that round, they will advance and audition in front of the celebrity panel of judges.

Season 12 of American Idol will air in January 2013.

The “American Idol Small Town Audition Bus Tour" included 10 towns: Idaho Falls (ID), Billings (MT), Casper (WY), Rock Rapids (IA), Iowa City (IA), Bowling Green (KY), Clarksdale (MS), Joplin (MO), Dodge City (KS), and Grand Junction (CO). - KAKE News- Lily Wu- August 24, 2012

About 700 people auditioned for the one-day event in Dodge City for a chance to compete on Season 12 of American Idol.

"It's here. It's close, [You] might as well take a chance again," said Tawna Goforth, 23, from Sedgwick.

Goforth has been auditioning for the show since she was 17.

She was excited to hear that the “American Idol Small Town Audition Bus Tour" included Dodge City.

"I think it's so cool that they are going into the heart of the towns to kind of see the people that are working at their dream. You know, they may not be able to go to the big towns and make the audition," she said.

Although smaller crowds came out to watch and fewer people tried out, the audition was similar to those in bigger cities. Each contestant received less than a minute to impress the show's senior producers.

"It was kind of nerve racking," said Goforth.

The show allows auditions from people 15 to 28 years of age. Unfortunately, nerves got the best of some of the younger contestants.

"People you see on TV have so much confidence but then you get up there and you're just like, 'It's really scary,'" said Sydney Torrez, 15, from Dodge City.

The show's senior producers explained what they were looking for from contestants.

"Strong vocals, good performance, presence. There's a lot of things but at the same time, we're not looking for anything specific. We feel like that limits us," said Norm Betts, senior producer for American Idol.

Goforth along with Davie Fischer from Cimarron made it to the second round, where they will audition in front of the executive producers.

If they make it through that round, they will advance and audition in front of the celebrity panel of judges.

Season 12 of American Idol will air in January 2013.

The “American Idol Small Town Audition Bus Tour" included 10 towns: Idaho Falls (ID), Billings (MT), Casper (WY), Rock Rapids (IA), Iowa City (IA), Bowling Green (KY), Clarksdale (MS), Joplin (MO), Dodge City (KS), and Grand Junction (CO). - KAKE News- Lily Wu- August 24, 2012