Annual karaoke contest now a local staple

Sean C. Morgan

The annual Double D Karaoke Contest got under way Saturday evening with 20 singers competing at the Vet’s Club.

Debbie and Allan Jewell have conducted the contest for eight years, which is nearly the length of time they have been in business as Double D Karaoke. The Jewells started the competition as a membership drive for the veterans organizations at the club. Rising from humble beginnings, it now offers hundreds of dollars in prizes to the top five contestants.

The Jewells got into karaoke oddly, said Debbie Jewell. They were about to celebrate their 25th anniversary. A friend said he wanted to bring his karaoke rig. They responded that he’d better bring real singers because he wasn’t going to get them singing. He told them he’d have them singing by the end of the night.

They were hooked. The Jewells started attending karaoke night at the club regularly on Fridays, Jewell said. Dennis Funk was running the show then. For health reasons, he quit; and the Jewells took over 10 years ago. By then, they had already purchased their own equipment and were running karaoke entertainment for friends and families at events of all kinds.

“It keeps us busy, but it’s something we do for fun,” Jewell said.

The contest became a membership drive designed to get people into the club.

“We were trying to figure out a way to get members in here and get people involved, let people know it’s not just a bar,” Jewell said. “It was pretty small the first year.”

They had about 16 contestants the first year, who competed for $500 in prizes, but “really started growing” the third year, Jewell said. Last year they had about 40 competitors. The winner won $600, with prizes down to fifth place.

“Last year was probably the best we have ever had,” Jewell said. It’s gotten easier to find prize support for the contest. Prizes are provided by donations. All of the money goes to the singers.

The contest is divided into three Saturday shows, with three different judges each night. The judges reduce the field to 15 contestants the first night. They eliminate five more the second night, and select the top five the third night.

That means “you need to bring your A-game each time you sing,” Jewell said.

The event provides benefits for sponsors, Jewell said. For $200 donations, sponsors can hang a banner during the show.

It remains a membership drive for the Vet’s Club, she said.

Debbie Jewell serves as president of the AmVets Auxiliary. Allan Jewell is first vice president of the AmVets.

“Doing things for the veterans has always been a huge thing for us,” Jewell said. Even while her husband served in the Army, they tried to help out. Stationed at Ft. Lewis, Wash., they were involved in helping Cambodian child refugees, she said, and now their daughter, Kimi, is active in veterans activities.

Of special concern are the new veterans, from Afghanistan and Iraq.

The younger guys are coming back, but it’s hard to get information about services they need, Jewell said. It’s often hard for them to come back, integrate and get jobs.

The club provides them an opportunity to get that information, she said. A Veterans Administration representative is at the club once a week to help out. The club also participates in Christmas in July for families of overseas soldiers and Christmas baskets.

The club is there to help vets, she said. “If we don’t have an answer, we’ll find one for them.”

Saturday night, several singers who had signed up were not able to show up for a variety of unexpected reasons, Jewell said, but the club was full.

“The talent was great as usual, and the judges had a tough time making their decisions,” Jewell said.

The 15 who made the first cut are Jeanne Reyes, Chilly Mancuso, Cathy Cheshire, Lorenzo Pike, Anita Wolfe, Damon Schwab, Jodi Cheshire, Bruce Housen, Keith Wolfe, Danny B., Tim Geil, Josh Jeppsen, Jenna Schwab, Cheyenne Patton and Mark Thedford.

Judges were Gail Gillespie, Jackie Martin and Brett Jones.

Admission is free. The show begins at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

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