Theme: “I heard it on the radio…”
The Liars Contest returns to Pioneer Days Saturday, July 10, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Discovery Junction. This contest is sponsored by Allegheny Mountain Radio to celebrate its 40th Anniversary.
Gibbs Kinderman reminds us that the first WVMR Old Time Liars Contest was held at the Marlinton Depot during Pioneer Days 1980, a year before the station went on the air. George Daugherty, the Earl of Elkview, was the judge. The contest was a regular feature at Pioneer Days for about 15 years, and had a reprise in 2006 when All-Time Great West Virginia Liar Bil Lepp was the judge and Diane Buzzard was the winner. This year’s contest is the first one since then.
Registration will be held from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the AMR table next to the Pocahontas Opera House.
Rules:
• “Lies” should be short stories – funny, dramatic, supernatural – maximum of five minutes long.
• All contestants must register to be in the contest. First, second and third place winners will be chosen from all competitors.
• A panel of three judges will score each contestant based on:
– Technique – delivery, confidence and stage presence.
– Story Development – development of the tale in the time available.
– Originality – either an original tale or a new take on a familiar yarn.
– Effectiveness – believability of the “lie” and the response of the audience.
Judges will score each of the four categories on a scale of 1 to 5, with a maximum of 20 points per competitor. Final scores will not be released. The judges will confer at the end of the contest to decide the winners, and the decision of the judges will be final.
All tales will be recorded and available on the Allegheny Mountain Radio Facebook page and may be played on air.
Awards:
First Place: AMR 40th Anniversary T-shirt and mug – and bragging rights!
Second Place: AMR 40th Anniversary T-shirt
Third Place: AMR mug