By Dr. Mildred Summerville
The Summerville Promotion and Production Company, along with The Tall One Outreach Ministries would like to congratulate the following contestants who are the participants in the 2018 Wilson Idol Talent Show, which will be held on Saturday, September 8, 2018 at Fike High School, 500 Harrison Drive, Wilson North Carolina. Doors will open at 4pm and the event is scheduled to begin promptly at 5pm.
By creating educational and performing arts opportunities for Wilson County and the surrounding areas, Wilson Idol — in conjunction with Summerville Promotion and Production Company and Tall One Outreach Ministries — invite preschoolers, ages 3 to 5 to share their talents with the greater Wilson community. This talent exhibition is an incentive for younger students to acquire social, emotional, and academic growth in an academic environment. In addition, this educational initiative increases the likelihood of overall success in the school setting.
It is our belief that by empowering the children, we help them facilitate personal development, while simultaneously strengthening the roles of the home, school, and community as they affect students of the twenty-first century.
Wilson Idol is an event that honors a person who is greatly venerated in his or her community and acknowledges the potential of outstanding talent. This event showcases performances exhibited through song, instrumentation, and the spoken word. Wilson Idol opens the doors for many participants and exposes them to the greater Wilson Community and beyond.
It is our philosophy that the tentacles of our initiatives aid in building a solid Arts Foundation, and serves all ages ranging from preschool ages [3 years old] and upward through age 70 and beyond. And it is through these new and innovative outlets that we focus on the importance of The Performing Arts that have the potential of fostering comprehensive, intellectual, social, and emotional development for all individuals.
The 2018 Wilson Idol showcase will include: Gray Nell Williams, Precious Finch, Alpha Kinsey –Harmon, Camillia Ortiz, Katie Irrera, Christianna Batts, Brittany Meng, Sirena Pitt, Jemeka Johnson, Nevaeh Scarboro, Joshua Woods, Jemeka Johnson, Trevion Scarboro, Dashana King, Collin Colston, and Marquice Spencer.
This year we are continuing two unique components to The Wilson Idol Event: “Babes (3-9) and seniors through (55+) Have Talent Too.” These particular individuals will display their talents in a non-competitive category and will receive gift certificates sponsored by our local businesses. One of our goals of this component is to continue collaborating with our area businesses because we need their support to insure a successful community event. The Wilson Idol initiative is geared toward the continual ties that bind unity in our community through performing arts.
Even more specifically, this competition will provide Wilson’s youth with an opportunity to display authentic talents in the areas of solo music, band/group music, dance/step and dramatic interpretation. Cash prizes will be awarded, and the top performer will be given an opportunity to perform for Pastor Shirley Caesar, Queen of Gospel, and will be given an opportunity to audition for a part in the onstage production of the award- winning gospel play, “Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child.” This Gospel Drama is written and produced by Dr. Mildred Summerville.
Alayla Jenkins, Wilson Idol 2017 winner, has been selected as a cast member for this dramatic production, “Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child,” which will be staged at the Carolina Theater in Durham, North Carolina on September 29, 2018 at 7:30pm.
All winners will be featured in the Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child Gospel Play Souvenir Booklet, The Gospel Music Fever, and TCP Magazines, Wilson Times newspaper and the Grey Area News site, and will be featured on KNTV and BGNTV.
The Wilson Idol Mission is to encourage all Wilson County residents, especially students, to remain in school and to pursue their personal interests in the performing arts, which may lead to global exposure as well as self-gratification.
The goals of this event are to showcase diversity through the performing arts, and to provide a public talent expedition for all interested persons.
To encourage religious organizations, private corporations, and other businesses to collaborate and partner with Summerville Promotion & Production Company (Wilson Idol Team).
The goals and objectives are to build a solid art foundation and to provide a public forum for all residents of Wilson. While focusing on the development of “The Total Person”. Additionally, Dr. Summerville seeks to enhance the global aspect of performing arts and provide a unique exposure to professionalism in performance by sharing the stage with renown gospel artists, such as Pastor Shirley Caesar, Leanne Faine, Dr. Brooksie Harrington, Trina Jeffrie AKA Sister Cantaloupe, Marvin Jefferys, and Shawn McLemore. Thus, it is through these new and innovative outlets that we are able to create educational, financial, and artistic opportunities for Wilson County youth.
This comprehensive production initiative symbolizes a community effort that strives to increase the overall potential of success in public schools. In a word, empowering the youth will help to facilitate personal development, while strengthening their home, school, and community relationships. Further, Tall One Outreach Ministries intends to inspire the community and encourages parents to partner with Dr. Summerville, her vision, and with the Wilson Idol Staff to enlist 100 people to serve as ambassadors for the company and will assist with these performing arts opportunities. To express interest, email wilsonidol2013@gmail.com.
New Horizons
Correlated with the Wilson Idol Talent Show, Dr. Summerville has now launched the initiation of The Tall One Champion’s Awards Event. The Tall One Champion Award Program honors individuals for their hard work, perseverance, and meritorious contributions in their communities. The chosen honorees for these honors have impacted their communities through various initiatives, such as ministry, performing arts, community services, and educational contributions.
Wilson Idol will pay honorable tribute to the following icons in our community. William E. Myers, Mrs. Luvenia Elliott, Mr. George Leach, Mrs. Minnie Doris Cummings, Levolyre Pitt and Mrs. Evelyn Hagans Jones.
Education Awards 2018: Mrs. Luvenia Elliott, George Leach, Doris Cummings, Levolyre Pitt, and Evelyn Hagans Jones symbolize the highest ideals of education. Throughout the years, they have demonstrated a legacy of faithfulness, professionalism, and charismatic leadership. Without question, they deserve recognition for their excellence, high expectations, enthusiasm (love for learning) and humanitarianism. In addition, the honorees have always demonstrated respect for students, a strong spiritual sense of community. They possess community-pride, a strong conviction for classroom management, which have greatly influenced other teachers in their perspective fields of study, as demonstrated through their empowering leadership skills, support, teaching, accessibility, and community services.
These teachers and mentors epitomize the ideals of “Life-Long-Learning” and their moral qualities are above reproach. Their philosophies and work ethics were demonstrated through: patience, consideration, emotional stability, and good judgment which exemplifies the highest level of excellence.
Mr. William [Bill] Myers has impacted his community through various educational initiatives.
He is honored for this dedication to spiritual leadership, community services, and outreach ministries. Most profoundly, Bill is known for his multi-faceted contributions to the performing arts. Meyers symbolizes the highest ideals of perfection in the area of the performing arts. It is common knowledge that he is an award-winning musician, bandleader, and represents his home state of North Carolina with coveted respect. In 1957, Bill along with Cleveland Flowe, co-founded the well-known band ensemble, The Monitors. This band, which plays a mixture of Rhythm and Blues, yet performs in multiple shows each year, and they may be heard in their home-town of Wilson, North Carolina. In 2011, Myers and the Monitors played at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. During the following year, Myers received the Brown-Hudson Folklore Award given by the North Carolina Folklore Society, and in 2014, he received the North Carolina Heritage Award.
Special guest: Trina Jeffrie
Trina Jeffrie is the leading cast member and director of the Award-Winning Play, “Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child.” She is deemed the “Queen of Gospel Comedy” and is a native of Dallas, Texas. As a gifted speaker, Trina was well on her way to becoming a great entertainer when she won her first oratorical contest in the third grade. Traveling full time as a ‘character-comic’ in the Christian/Gospel area, Trina’s break-out-character “Sister Cantaloupe” has become a household name in the gospel community.
Trina’s break-out-character, also known as “Sister Cantaloupe,” created by Trina herself, is a cat-eyeglass-wearing, colorful, and loud speaking church-going sister, who makes you lose yourself whenever she begins speaking. Trina Jeffrie is often compared to Tyler Perry’s character “Madea.” But this female, church busybody was created some 25 years ago and has performed in every religious community you can imagine. Trina, the script-writer for all of her one-woman acts, has left audiences rolling in the aisles with her unique style of comedy and drama. Trina has three award winning hit DVD’s&CD’s and has recorded five Video/CD/DVD(s) that are distributed globally. These renditions include: Go Cantaloupe Go (1996), Laffing Out Loud with the Lord (1998), Un-Be-Weave-able (2002), Dr. Bobby Jones All Star Comedy (Lions Gate 2004), and Armed and Dangerous (2006). Her DVD 3pack Classic Comedian Collection (2012) was proclaimed as Best New Artist and Best Video. Jeffries is the 2014 winner of the AMG award for “Comedian of the Year.”
Traveling fulltime as an entertainer and performing as a headliner, Trina has enjoyed the blessings of sold-out shows from the east to the west coast. She has also toured and appeared with most of the top names in the Gospel and R&B industry such as Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams, Fred Hammond, John P. Kee, The Winans, Jennifer Holiday, Dr. Bobby Jones, Pebo Bryson, Aretha Franklin, Stephanie Mills, Brandy, Stevie Wonder, R. Kelly, Steve Harvey, Ricky Smiley and Kevin Hart to name a few. She has also appeared on numerous television and radio shows including “The Tavis Smiley Show”, “Dr. Bobby Jones Show”, “The Jenny Jones Show” and more. She has been featured in magazines such as “Sister 2 Sister”, Gospel Flavor, and Gospel Today.
Although, Sister Cantaloupe is reaping the rewards of her talent and her multi-faceted gifts, Trina’s notoriety ranges far beyond her staged-character. For two years, she is known for her national tour with the cast of “Friends and Lover,” with stars such as Leon (Waiting to Exhale), Mel Jackson (Soul Food), Migule Nunez (Juwanna Mann), and Monica Calhoun (The Best Man). Trina has been involved in motion pictures, television, and magazine publications. Because of her versatility and ambition, she has written movies, plays, produced and directed various productions. She co-wrote and starred in Casino starring Gerald Levert and Kelly Price; she was also in “Leap of Faith” starring Steve Martin, and “Necessary Roughness” starring Sinbad.
Trina made the vow that God would be her first love and acting would become her second devotion. Trina is quick to say, “God is the only Daddy I’ve known, and HE spoils me! Thus, to God be the Glory for all he has done.” Trina Jeffrie is the leading cast member and director for the Award-Winning Play, “Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child.”
Judges: Spiritual Travelers and Marvin Jeffreys
Marvin Jeffreys wrote, composed, and originally recorded “Rain on Me” that was later record by The Mighty Clouds of Joy. He has also written songs for gospel recording artist Evelyn Turrentine-Agee. His songs can also be heard on the newly released motion picture documentary, “Music from The Big House,” which features the Canadian Queen of Blues, Rita Chlarelli.
