PRESQUE ISLE – After two nights of stiff competition, including a Friday night show that ended with two standing ovations, six more contestants have earned spots in the third annual Aroostook Idol grand finale show.

In total, 19 central Aroostook County contestants took the stage at Presque Isle Middle School between Friday and Saturday night to participate in the singing competition, which is raising money for the United Way of Aroostook.

This year’s event, based on the television show of a similar name, features four regional sing-offs in Aroostook County: one which took place last weekend in Houlton, the two that occurred Friday and Saturday in Presque Isle, and a fourth which will take place in Fort Kent next weekend.

The three winners from each show will go on to compete in a grand finale show slated for early March. Officials hope to raise between $35,000 and $40,000 during this year’s event.

Show judges and organizers alike were calling Friday night’s show “amazing.” They were referring in large part to the final contestants of the night, Annie Charles and Julie Shaw, who each garnered a standing ovation from the crowd. About 350 people attended the Friday night show, which featured 11 contestants.

Charles, a 46-year-old woman who moved last fall from Florida to Limestone to work at Defense Finance and Accounting Services, had the crowd in her hands from the very first notes of “Lord, You Are Holy.” Several people were waving their arms to the music as she sang, and the crowd broke out into exuberant applause and yells at several points during her song.

“I think the competition’s over – you are Aroostook Idol 2007,” one judge said after her performance.

Shaw received similar recognition after she sang “Call on Jesus.” The 24-year-old also had the audience members up on their feet and shouting their adulation throughout her song. This was the second standing ovation for Shaw, who wowed a Presque Isle crowd in 2005 during the first year of Aroostook Idol.

“This is honestly one of the best shows we’ve ever had,” Scott Voisine, the self-proclaimed “Simon Cowell” judge, said after the performances.

Charles, Shaw and Julie Curtis – who belted out a sultry, gritty version of “When It Hurts So Bad” – were named the Friday night regional winners.

Saturday night’s show featured eight contestants and a smaller crowd of about 200. Contestants included a father-daughter pair and strong representation from Caribou High School. In fact, the three winners of the night – Danielle Lane, Erin Buck and Jessica Guyan – all are CHS students.

Lane received loud applause for her version of “When There Was Me and You.” Buck and Guyan, who both sported bright-green tops accented by wide black belts, held their own: Buck belted out “Baby Girl,” and Guyan set an intimate mood with “At Last.”

“The talent that has shown up in these shows has been amazing,” Claudia Stevens, United Way of Aroostook executive director, said Saturday night after the show. “We questioned ourselves, ‘Have we worn the Idol thing out?’ But we have received a resounding ‘No!’ There’s still a lot of life left in Aroostook Idol.”

IF YOU GO

The next regional show will take place at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16, at the University of Maine at Fort Kent’s Fox Auditorium. The grand finale show will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday, March 4, at the Caribou Performing Arts Center.

Tickets are $8 each and can be purchased at KeyBank branches throughout Aroostook County or at the United Way of Aroostook office. For more information, contact the United Way of Aroostook at 764-5197, or visit www.unitedwayaroostook.org.