Mcdonald's Holds 'American Idol' Spinoff

With reality television shows sweeping the nation, a local McDonald's has decided to use the hype to give back to the community.

The restaurant recently held McIdol, a singing contest, as a way for community members to enjoy live entertainment.

The McDonald's, which is owned and operated by Restaurant Management Corp., held a similar contest in Chesterton. The contest in South Haven coincided with the release of the company's "American Idol" Happy Meal toys.

Starting in April, the store had an open call for singers who sang for a panel of three judges. Each week the singers were rated on stage presence, enthusiasm, song choice, vocal sound and originality. The three judges gave each singer a critique and positive feedback, similar to the "American Idol" TV program.

South Haven resident Will McGinnis, one of the three judges, has 40 years of music experience. He thought the contest was a nice break from his job as an investigator at the Indiana State Prison.

The top 12 winners were selected by the highest number of points. From those 12, two contestants were eliminated each week based on votes by families and friends.

The other two judges were Jessie Balding, choir teacher at Edison Junior-Senior High School, and Beth Guzzo, a senior at Kankakee Valley High School who sings in the band The Avenue.

Valparaiso High School senior Kristin Claiborne earned second place. She said she had a lot of fun with the contest, but had stage fright. She enjoyed seeing friends and family who came out to see her perform.

"I love music. It's the biggest part of my life besides church and family," she said.

The first-place winner was Kelly Clapp, a junior at Valparaiso High School.

"I was excited. It was kind of unexpected," she said.

Clapp said she found it difficult to find songs each week the crowd would like and would also show off her voice.

Her dad, Dale Clapp, accompanied her on guitar.

"Music is part of the family. It's one of those things that keeps us close," he said.