On May 12, Canaries Stadium will open its doors for the second annual KRROfest.

Jered Johnson, president and CEO of Pepper Entertainment, said KRRO Fest was an idea developed by Pepper Ent. and partner, Hunt Industries. “We are all from Sioux Falls and we wanted to brand an annual event showcasing major national touring acts. We introduced the concept to KRRO [radio station] and we all decided to move forward with it.”

This year the lineup has some big-name rock/metal bands including Slipknot, Korn, The Used, Clutch, All That Remains and Dirtfedd.

Johnson said ticket sales are projected at 7,500 to 10,000, which is good for this area. “The reaction has been great. Hopefully, people come out and support events like this as it’s very difficult to get bigger bands to play tertiary markets like Sioux Falls.”

One big name is Slipknot, a nine-member metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. The band has been together since 1995 and have released four albums. Their newest, All Hope is Gone, was released in August 2008. Other than the band’s the large number of members, this band stands out by wearing unique masks.

Another big name band that is attending is Korn. Chris Mullett, senior psychology major who is going to KRRO Fest, said he is attending to see the bands Korn and Clutch.

“I have liked Korn’s music for a while now. It’s great to have the opportunity to see such a great headlining band come here,” Mullett said.

According to their Web site, the metal four-person band, Korn, started in 1993. “The act has evolved into a reliable source for efficiently brooding guitar riffs and lyrics heavy with antipathy, although it isn’t afraid to still let loose its inner freak and experiment a bit,” the Web site said.

Another four-person band attending is the Utah-based rock group The Used. According to bassist Jeph Howard, the band has not played a show in South Dakota for a while.

“It should be a great show. We will play new songs as well as old favorites. It will be an awesome concert and show,” Howard said.

The Used has not had an album out since 2007 but plans to release one in June or July. Howard said the album is titled Artwork and is the best thing they have ever done.

“Be honest, great rock music should make you smile – that is mandatory,” said Clutch’s Web site, which also described the band as “a classic rock band with an ultra-modern sweep.”

The band released an album in 2007 titled From Beale Street to Oblivion and has been touring since.

The music of Clutch is good but underrated, said Mullett. “They are a rock band that will rock your face off ? the music is what gets you pumped up.”

Returning to South Dakota is the band All That Remains. According to guitarist Mike Martin the band was in the area in September or October of last year.

“We had a good show. It was a bit odd and hilarious because we woke up in a cow barn,” Martin said.

Martin offered advice to students who are attending the show. “Brace yourself. Beware of things flying at you and take care of yourself. We don’t want people to get hurt.”

KRRO Fest is open to all ages. Tickets are available online and at the Canaries Stadium. Advanced tickets cost $39.50 and $50 the day of the show. The gates open at 3 p.m. and the music will start at 3:30 p.m.

There will also be a pre-party to KRRO Fest on May 5 at Nutty’s North. The pre-party will feature “humor-hardcore” band Psychostick. Mechanical Brain and 66 Crush will also play.

According to Psychostick’s Web site, humorcore is a mixing of comedy, metal and hardcore. The band formed in 2000 “to bring the ridiculous ideas and antics of a few computer nerds and lovers of music.” Their third album titled Sandwich will be released the same day as the pre-party.

The show is open to all ages and begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are available online or at Last Stop CD Shop and cost $10 in advance and $12 the day of the show.

Johnson said a festival like KRRO Fest helps the Sioux Falls community in two ways. First, it puts the Sioux Falls market on the map in terms of hosting major music events. “This helps us get more bands, more often,” Johnson said. said.

Secondly, this type of festival helps out the city economically. People from all over the region travel for this event and subsequently will shop, dine, lodge and obviously visit local tourist attractions, Johnson said.

“You never know what is going to happen so come and check it out,” said Howard.

Every time students read Lysistrata in Dramatic Literature, they have wanted to perform it, said J.D. Ackman, director of the play.

The comedy was written by Aristophanes in the fifth century B.C. According to Ackman, Aristophanes is known for his comedies being satirizing to political and social issues. This show presents the audience with the question of what if the wives of men at war band together to end the war by withholding sex.

The show takes place during the Peloponnesian War in Athens. The men of Athens have been away for a long time fighting with the Spartans and have just come back to Athens.

“The women are sick of all the fighting,” said Kim Graff, a sophomore English education major, “so they decide to do something about it.”

Cori Bortnem, a senior interdisciplinary studies major, plays the main character of Lysistrata.

“She is a very strong, self-sufficient, gutsy Greek woman. She is the one who gathers the women and creates the plan,” Bortnem said.

The plan is for the women to abstain from sexual relations with their husbands. In order to increase the efficiency of their plan, the women also take over the Acropolis, the treasury.

One aspect of this show that stands out is the use of phallic symbols. Graff said the set has subtle phallic symbols and the men have appendages under their costumes.

“The use of a phallic symbol in ancient times was as common to them as a Christmas wreath is to us,” said Ackman.

Because Lysistrata was written in ancient Greece, it has a chorus. The chorus in this show is divided into two groups, the old men and the old women. Each chorus speaks to the audience and each other but not to other characters in the show.

“My favorite part has been working with the other chorus members, because we are given a lot of creative freedom,” said Blaine Greenlee, a communication studies major.

According to Graff, the show does not have any music written in, but the people who make up the chorus put in extra work. They found contemporary tunes so they could sing some of their lines and dance around.

“As an audience member, you should expect lots of sexual innuendo and a really good time. I think it is really great for a college audience because of this. It is really funny but also has a really good story line. So come expecting to be highly entertained,” said Greenlee.

Lysistrata is not written like Shakespeare, and this translation uses modern language, said Bortnem.

Although the show is a comedy, it has an important message, cast members said.

“It’s unfortunate this show is always timely. Someone is always at war, and all the points this show makes are valid,” said Ackman. “We make war. In reality, the solution presented in the show probably would not work, but it shows the possibility. The path to peace could be simpler than we think.”

The tools Aristophanes uses to make his point seem blatant and crude and get the point across at the end of the show, Ackman said. Fundamentally, men and women are the same.

Lysistrata runs from April 22 through April 26 in Doner Auditorium. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. April 22 through April 25, with a matinee starting at 2 p.m. on April 26. The show is free with student I.D. and is recommended for mature audiences only.

“I am really excited to see this show because I have not been to a theater production yet, and from all the things I have heard, this is a good one to start with. I have a feeling I will not be let down,” said Daine Pearson, a food service and hotel management major.

“His work is clever and inventive. I enjoy the playful and lighthearted characteristics,” said Diana Behl, visiting assistant professor of visual arts.

The work Behl is referring to is the animation of Adam Pesapane, who goes by PES. PES is a New York based short film animator who has won awards for his work.

According to his Web site, PES won the Best First Film award in 2002 at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival. The film, Roof Sex, was about two chairs sneaking out of a room and going to a rooftop. Recently, PES’s newest film, Western Spaghetti, won honorable mention at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

“He continues to explore in his work between an object and what is happening. Each project increases in complexity,” said Cable Hardin, assistant visual arts professor.

According to Hardin, PES uses a technique called pixilation. This technique uses live action elements that looks like stop motion.

“I like the slick professional look of his work. The concept is playful and has great movement. He has fun with his ideas,” said Hardin.

Hardin said students have been exposed to PES’s work during the animation festival in October and some commercials on television. Some commercial work includes Sprint, Scrabble, Nike and Bacardi.

According to his Web site, PES uses everyday objects in place of other objects in his work. One example is in his film Western Spaghetti, in which he uses rubber bands in place of spaghetti. In his film Game Over, based on video games, he uses a flower in place of an explosion.

PES will speak in the Volstorff Ballroom at 5:30 p.m. on April 6. This event is free to students and the public. He will also be visiting some animation classes.

“PES speaking to our classes is a good opportunity for students to interact on a casual intimate level with someone in that field,” said Hardin.

This year’s Miss SDSU and Miss Brookings pageant will offer two more reasons for the girls participating.

“We now have four titles: Miss SDSU, Miss Brookings, Miss East Central and Miss Eastern Plains,” said Alexandra Hoffman, Miss SDSU/Miss South Dakota. “The new titles are for more people to represent this side of the state.”

This year, ten girls will compete for the four titles. In order to qualify, each girl must be between the ages of 17 and 24, unmarried, a resident of South Dakota and raise $100 for the Children’s Miracle Network.

Sophomore English education major and second-time pageant contestant Kimberly Graff said the pageant is not just about a pretty face or good looks.

“I did Miss S.D. USA, and they did not have a talent portion. It was all looks,” Graff said.

According to Hoffman, these pageants are about great scholarship opportunities, not looks.

Elly Gouin, Miss Brookings 2008, said the scholarships given out are some of the best in the state.

Each title has its own scholarship worth $1000. Hoffman said the Miss SDSU scholarship is through the university, while the other three are from money raised through community service and fundraising.

“One fundraiser we have this year is the Miss S.D. pheasant hunt,” said Hoffman.

Another benefit of doing the pageant, Gouin said, is networking.

“You meet a lot of people and community members. I had gathered 300 sponsors for the Children’s Miracle Network in Brookings alone,” she said.

Gouin also said the pageant has great entertainment opportunities. Because her talent is singing, Gouin has sung the national anthem at a lot of games, performed for the Children’s Miracle Network State-a-thon and been in the Hobo Day parade.

Besides talent, the pageant has four other portions the girls will be judged on. The five parts include, in order of importance: the interview, talent, evening gown, swimsuit and on-stage questions.

“The most important is how a girl presents herself during the interview,” Hoffman said.

The girls are interviewed prior to the pageant, Hoffman said. Each girl is interviewed twice with five judges.

“This helps the judges get to know the girl,” said Hoffman. “The judges are looking for the total package. They want someone who is intelligent, comfortable with herself and portrays her true self.”

The Miss SDSU and Miss Brookings judges include Katie Larson, Sally Isburg, Mitch Krebs, Dan Landes and Lee Schoenbeck. The Miss East Central and Miss Eastern Plains judges include Chris Daugaard, Daryl Isburg, Brooke Sydow, Kim McKay and Buffy Johnson.

To prepare for the judges, the contestants have been “getting into pageant mode.” Graff said she has been practicing her song, working out and tanning.

Rose Heeb, a senior consumer affairs major and Miss Brookings 2007, said she has been preparing for the pageant by working out, practicing her talent and doing mock interviews.

After the pageant is done, what the girls do with the title is up to them, said Hoffman.

“There are no requirements of the winners besides representing the community and being in the Hobo Day parade,” she said.

Anna Winter, a sophomore theatre major and second-year contender, said she would want to be a good representative of the Children’s Miracle Network.

“Since my platform is ‘Keeping fine arts in communities and public schools,’ I would want to go and talk with schools about how the arts are an important part of education,” said Graff. “I also want to teach students about self-respect and that they are worth something.”

First-time contender and freshman mass communication major Megan Pavlow said that if she won, she would expand her platform and be a good representative for the Miss SDSU/Miss America organization.

“My advice for these girls is ‘Be yourself’. You can do anything and gain a lot of experience, especially from the interview skills,” Gouin said.

The Miss SDSU and Miss Brookings pageant will be March 22 at 1:30 p.m. in Doner Auditiorium. The Miss East Central and Miss Eastern Plains will be at 5 p.m. in Doner Auditorium, as well.

Tickets cost $4 for adults and $3 for students.

“This is going to be a good show with a good mix of talents,” said Graff.

#1.881779:1843916083.jpg:Alex_Hoffman_Singin.1.jpg:Current Miss SDSU, Alexandra Hoffman, sings the National Anthem prior to the Feb. 12 men’s basketball game. :Ethan Swanson

“Playing guitar, singing and writing songs for me must come from your soul,” said Derek Post. “I felt and I learned this concept from my dad and blues music.”

On March 6, Post will have a debut party for his first EP titled Ebb and the Flow.

Ebb and the Flow features six songs all written by Post. Post said he came up with the title from an expression he always heard.

Post said he decided to record this album because of his passion for playing music and writing songs.

“At this stage for me, making music is something that feels natural,” he said.

Post got his start in music from his dad who was a guitar player in a blues band.

“He exposed me to the music that influenced and inspired him to play,” Post said.

According to his Web site, the music Post’s father listened to included Albert King, Allman Brothers, James Brown and Derek and the Dominoes.

“I grew up listening to the classic guitar players: Jimmy Hendrix, Eric Clapton, BB King and John Mayer,” he said.

Listening to these blues and funk musicians has resonated to the music Post makes.

He described his music as “a mixture of rock, blues, funk and pop music.

“These are all elements that have influenced me and my playing,” he said.

Post said started playing the guitar about three years ago when he came to Sioux Falls.

“I don’t know why I started playing. Just a feeling I guess,” he said.

Post said he is inspired to write music from past, present and future experiences that he envisions happening.

“For me there are a lot of inspiring things in life and in yourself that can be used to express in music,” Post said.

The first time Post played for an audience was about four years ago at the Riverwalk Café.

“It was embarrassing. It is hard to get in front of people and bare your soul,” he said.

In his musical career, Post said he will let his music dictate where his career goes. He said the EP party is to allow people who may not have heard him before see what his music is about.

“It is a ‘kickoff’ show so to speak,” Post said.

The concert will also feature Post’s band members John Myers, bass and vocals, and Adam Jones, drums.

“I just found someone to play with,” he said.

The show will open with Sioux Falls local band Liquid Thin. Post said he has played with Liquid Thin in the past. When Liquid Thin had a CD release party, they asked Post and his band to open for them.

“Them opening for us is kind of paying them back for the favor,” he said. “They are really great guys and great players.”

The show is 18 years and older at Nutty’s North. Tickets are $7, and the show will begin at 9 p.m.

Over a seven-week span, one fine arts major, one art education major and 17 graphic design majors will present their senior exhibition shows.

Each week, three to four senior students will present their work in the Ritz Gallery.

Norman Gambill, head of the department of visual arts, said one reason students do the senior showings is because it is a part of the required class Art-400 the Senior Review. Another reason is to display what the students have learned during their time here.

“In the last 25 years, South Dakota has become more competitive with visual literacy,” said Gambill. “It is practical for college students to be visually informed.”

Gambill said he has noticed better posters and business ads in the graphic design area.

“Fifty to 60 percent of the students who are in visual communication are working in town,” he said.

Gambill said visual communication is a part of the economic infrastructure. It is important because people do not want to buy something that does not look good.

“Visual communication can be as simple as a business card or a logo,” he said.

Part of the class involves students making their own posters and advertising for their art exhibit. They also have to name and hang up all the art being displayed.

“I think students who reflect contemporary art and design have traveled the most,” said Gambill.

One show that reflects contemporary trends through traveling is the second exhibition.

Senior graphic design major Amy Colgan said her pieces reflect New York City.

“I love New York and New York-based things,” she said. “I really enjoy contrast and use of color and bright accents.”

Colgan said her work ranges from print work, logos, brochures, painting and print making.

“I’m excited to show my work,” she said.

Colgan is showing her work with Erika Karsky and Katie Fritz, both senior graphic design majors.

Fritz said the styles of her pieces are things that are clean and grid organization.

“I like to use a lot of white space,” she said.

Fritz said the show has been a bit hard to put together because encompassing four years of work in one spot is not easy.

“It is good to see work being done at the university. People don’t realize what a good graphic design program we have,” Fritz said.

Colgan and Fritz’s show will be March 2 through 6 and is titled “Delirious”.

Another graphic design major showing pieces this semester is Siri Boyd.

Boyd said her pieces range from computer-generated things, drawings, paintings and print making.

“My favorite piece is a fine art piece from 2004. It is of a horse figure using charcoal and mixing different media,” she said.

According to Boyd, her inspiration comes from the materials she is using at the time.

“I am inspired by the feeling of charcoal in my hand or the paint on a brush,” she said.

Boyd is showing with Malinda Landsman and Tristan Bauer, both graphic design majors. Their show is on March 16 through 20 and is titled “Conspicuous Skiing Parade.”

“I worked on the poster for a class and decided to go with synonyms for graphic design for the title,” said Boyd.

According to Colgan, non-art students should attend the senior shows because “people don’t get what graphic design does. It is interwoven into everything.”

The first group of students includes senior graphic design majors Erica Frank and Lyndi Hawke and fine arts major Rose Sexton. Their show will run from Feb. 23 though 27.

#1.881871:557384340.JPG:DSC_1406.JPG:’Beginning of the Obsession’, an acrylic and oil on canvas by Lyndi Hawke is on display at the Ritz Gallery. :
#1.881870:2217809666.JPG:DSC_1395.JPG:’Joseph Daniel,’ an acrylic on canvas by Rose Sexton is on display at the Ritz Gallery:

The SDSU campus has seen many local bands perform. Most of them are from the rock/funk/punk genre; however, there have been very few hip-hop groups. The local group Soulcrate will perform Feb. 12 after finishing their first official tour.

Soulcrate is a hip-hop group from Sioux Falls consisting of DJ Absolute and brothers A Def and Dirt Dee.

According to Wes “A Def” Eisenhauer, the group started in 2002 when he moved back to Sioux Falls from Oregon.

“(Dirt Dee) and DJ Absolute had been doing stuff together, and I joined,” he said.

“We started playing shows in coffee shops, bars and stuff like that. We had to make do.”

After a while, the group had a following and began filling up shows.

“We sold out our last several shows and had to turn down people,” A Def said.

Since first getting together, Soulcrate has made five albums, done one official tour and signed to the label Black Clover. In 2008, Soulcrate came out with their fifth album titled Cardboard Cut Outs Volume One.

Since the hip-hop group is from Sioux Falls, there is a misperception that they will not be good. A Def said they have proven themselves locally and use the South Dakota thing to their advantage.

“We let people know where we are from. We will never hide the fact that we are from Sioux Falls. When we put on a good show, it helps prove people wrong,” said A Def.

Not hiding their origins has made a positive impact on Sioux Falls. According to A Def, when Soulcrate first started, there were no other rappers. He estimates there are 20 to 25 rappers in the Sioux Falls area now.

A Def said his future aspirations for the group are to keep touring.

“We hope to get on a tour with a large national act, something outside independent music. And to live off the music,” he said.

Soulcrate will perform in the Volstorff Ballroom at 6 p.m. Jack’s Place at 7 p.m. on Feb. 12. Admission to the show is free.

#1.881956:3473487496.jpg:soulcrate-1.jpg::

“If you are single, go see The Vagina Monologues Feb. 14,” said Molly Muth, senior advertising major and marketing coordinator for The Vagina Monologues.

The show, which is in its second year at SDSU, was written in 1996 by Eve Ensler. The Vagina Monologues combines the stories and experiences of women with facts about the vagina.

According to Amanda Hoover, sophomore agricultural education major, the monologues have a lot to teach people. The stories are about straight and lesbian women, child abuse, women on the streets, funny experiences and rants.

Last year, according to Muth, the show was received with a little resistance.

“The title scared people off. But once people realized it was not a raunchy, man-bashing show, they really liked it,” said Muth.

Even though people were hesitant toward the show, many people attended. According to Muth, $2,000 was made from ticket sales last year. All the money went to the domestic abuse shelter in Brookings.

This year, all the money will go to the same cause.

“The show gets the public to talk about domestic abuse and brings it up in a way that is touching, sad and funny,” said Catherine Grandorff, junior English and Spanish major and president of the Women’s Coalition.

According to Muth, this year will feature a variety of different women. Most women who did the show last year did not get the same parts.

“There is also a variety of women, ranging from straight to lesbians; Italians to Hispanics,” said Muth.

One woman who attended the show last year but did not participate was Hoover.

“I was practically dragged to it,” she said.

However, after watching the show, she decided to participate in it this year. Hoover said auditioning was spur of the moment, but she has found the experience rewarding.

“It is good to get out of your comfort zone,” she said. “It’s highly entertaining telling people I am doing this show.”

For Susana Rodriguez, a freshman history major, this is her first year with the show. Rodriguez said she heard about the show from friends who described it as “empowering, fun, funny and a safe zone.

“All the money goes towards a great cause, and I wanted to be a part of it,” she said. “This is something different that South Dakota doesn’t see.”

Muth said she had a similar experience. She did the show last year and said it was enlightening.

“We raised so much money last year for such a great cause. I felt it in my heart that I had to do this again this year,” she said.

Students should attend The Vagina Monologues because it is an enlightening program, said Grandorff. It shows real people dealing with real problems.

“The stories are touching, crushing and funny. This will be the best time you will ever have,” said Muth.

The Vagina Monologues will be performed Feb. 13 and 14 at 7:30 p.m. in Doner Auditorum. Tickets are $5.

“Why not go?” asked Muth.

#1.881954:226536889.jpg:VM-1.jpg:Jessica Berg acts out “Because He Liked to Look At It” while rehearsing for The Vagina Monologues. The monologues will be held Feb. 13 and 14 at 7:30 p.m.:Kaitie Krack

Since returning from Las Vegas on Jan. 25, Alex Hoffman has spent her time relaxing. She has worn zero makeup, sweats, not worked out and done a lot of sleeping.

“Everything went by so fast,” said Hoffman.

In case the name does not ring a bell, she is Miss SDSU and Miss South Dakota, and she recently competed in the Miss America Pageant.

Hoffman is originally from a cattle ranch in Eureka, S.D. She goes to SDSU, though she took the semester off, and is getting her undergraduate degree in broadcast journalism.

Her educational goal, however, is to “raise enough money for law school.”

Hoffman competed in her first pageant in high school. She twice participated in Miss Teen USA, winning her second time.

When Hoffman went to college, she joined the swim team and “did college stuff.” Then, on a whim, she decided to try to Miss SDSU.

“(Trying for Miss SDSU) was a good choice,” she said.

Ray Peterson, the director of theater at SDSU and producer of the Miss S.D. pageant, said Hoffman has gone far within her year.

“She was a first-time contestant who won Miss SDSU and went on to win Miss S.D. That hasn’t happened in 16 years,” he said.

Peterson said part of what made Hoffman go so far was her excellent interviewing skills, an overall sophistication and that she has the look. Also, being a little over six feet tall did not hurt at all.

For the talent portion, Hoffman said singing was her choice because “it is the only thing I can do really well.” She sang “Even Now” by Linda Eder.

Coincidentally, Hoffman’s grandfather was also a singer. In the 1960s, LeRoy Hoffman was a world-renowned opera singer.

There was a team of people who helped with the singing including Peterson, Kate Wismer, Heidi Grimsley and Kristi Richter.

Being a part of the Miss America pageant also meant being on a reality television show on The Learning Channel (TLC). The show was a four-part series.

“They showed how we really are. … It was entertaining,” Hoffman said.

The show was mainly factual but some things shown were not correct, she said.

According to Richter, one reason Hoffman did so well in the Miss America Pageant was because of her competitiveness.

“She throws everything into what she wants and goes full force to get it,” said Richter.

During the reality show, Hoffman was one of 15 to win a golden sash. She won because of her creativity during a black dress challenge.

Compared to other pageants that she has competed in, Hoffman was impressed with the quality of the contestants.

“The big difference with Miss America is the women. They are so intelligent, poised and are on another level,” said Hoffman.

Richter, Hoffman’s coach, said a big thing that makes Alex stand out is how humble and grounded she is. According to Richter, while cleaning up Hoffman’s dressing room, two women who worked back stage said, “We love your girl. She is so nice. And we don’t say that about everyone.”

Being Miss S.D. has not been all pageants. Once Hoffman, an athlete, was approached about performance enhancing drugs, said Richter. Because of this experience, she chose “Don’t Risk It: Keep Sports Healthy” as her platform.

“I helped Alex with why these drugs are bad and putting together a presentation about it,” Richter said.

Hoffman has a presentation she takes to schools to help get the word out.

According to Richter, Hoffman also takes a tobacco-free program called “Right Decisions Right Now” to schools. She visits about 20 schools about tobacco prevention, Hoffman said.

Now with only five months left as Miss S.D. and about two left as Miss SDSU, Hoffman said the pressure is off.

“I hope to have fun and recruit more women,” she said.

The next Miss SDSU pageant is set for March 22 in Doner Auditorium. Informational meetings are set for Feb. 5 and 11 at 7 p.m. in the lobby of Berg Hall.

Overall, Hoffman made the top 15 in Miss America. This is the first time in 39 years Miss S.D. has made the top 15. She also came in first for the online and phone voting, which meant she was America’s number one choice. She said she is happy with her experience.

“I proved because I am from a small state, I can still compete on their (national) level.”

#1.882026:3615245152.jpg:DSC_0229.jpg::Courtesy

Wednesday nights have been busy at Prairie Lanes Bowling Alley since the start of the most recent karaoke contest on Jan. 21.

Prairie Lanes has been running karaoke contests for the last eight years, and so far they have been successful.

“Our karaoke is well-known in town,” said Les Nelson, owner of Prairie Lanes. “We have the right chemistry right now.”

The contest takes place on Wednesday nights from 9 p.m. to midnight. It is part of a tournament that Prairie Lanes had to pay to enter; around 200 other bowling alleys in the U.S. are also in the tournament.

Competitions at Prairie Lanes will run weekly until May 13, with the last qualifying round taking place on May 6. Each week, three finalists will be selected from among the contestants. Finals will take place on May 13, and the winner of the finals receives a three-day, all-expense-paid trip to Las Vegas to compete in the national finals on June 21.

The winner of the finals in Las Vegas will receive $5,000, open for a major act and have the opportunity to record a song in a recording studio. The second place award is $2,000, and third place is awarded $1,000.

“I think it’s great for the bowling alley – a great opportunity for people to spend time together,” said Elisabeth Hunstad, one of Jan. 21′s three finalists. Hunstad, a senior music merchandising major, sang “Respect” by Aretha Franklin to qualify.

The contest is free and open to the public, and a bowling discount is available while it is taking place ($2 rather than $3.25). Contestants do not have to pay to participate in the contest but must be 18 or older.

“The price is right,” Nelson said.

Contestants are judged on their vocal delivery, showmanship and song delivery. The system used to judge contestants is called Olympic-style judging. There are six judges who each give a score from 1 to 10 for a performance. The top and bottom scores are thrown out. The remaining scores are added together to obtain the contestant’s total. Nelson said that they had never had a contestant say that the scoring was unfair.

Contestants must sing two good songs to make the cut.

“It’s amazing that people can sing this well,” Nelson said.

SDSU journalism alum Vicki Schuster, another finalist from Jan. 21, said that the crowd also played a role in who was chosen. Schuster’s song was “The Warrior” by Scandal.

“Song selection is very critical when you’re singing in a competition,” Schuster said.

Qualifiers do not have to return to the contest each week once they are chosen, but are encouraged to come back to practice singing their songs and get used to being around a crowd.

“I’m just happy that I qualified,” Schuster said.

The judges for the contest are usually local people with backgrounds in music or karaoke. The karaoke itself is run by Jeff Hanson of White, S.D.

“It’s a newer experience for me, but a lot of fun. It’s a neat idea,” Hunstad said.