Boys & Girls Club confirms Phillips County's got talent

It was standing room only at the Malta Boys and Girls Club last Thursday night as the organization's children hosted a talent show which featured over a dozen vocalists and two dance troupes gracing a stage gleefully decorated by the night's participants.

The night's show was emceed by Gabriella Rich and Taya Wilke, who tactfully traded barbs, one-liners and knock-knock jokes throughout the evening.

"What do you call a cow with no legs," Wilke quizzed.

"What," Rich played along.

"Ground beef," Wilke zinged.

The show's program proclaimed that Kori Kelsey would sing Yankee Doodle; Emree Stuart, Brooklyn Knowles, and Kylie Bishop doing their version of Lauren Daigle's Trust in You; Gracie Nelson singing Scars to Your Beautiful; Janae Messerly singing Burning House; Roxy Hickel, Rhylee Jo Martin-Kelly, Summer Bessman, and Maddy Tatafu performing a ditty titled 7 Years Old; Adreanna Nelson and Lillyanna Nelson doing gymnastics; Kimber Kovach, Benlie Grant, and Coutney Merriman with Bad Blood; MJ Beaman and Rose Alexaer doing the high-energy Gummy Bear; Emauni Johannesen with Titanium; Amelia Walking Eagle, Danaley Smith, Tilli Werk, and Renzey Raymond with the Someday Ballad and Layla Messerly with Bob Marley's Three Little Birds.

Nearly all of the night's crooners sang to track except for Messerly who played the ukulele during her version of the reggae legend's tune.

"I just learned to play the ukulele," Messerly explained. "I got it for my birthday from my dad."

Messerly celebrated her birthday last September and said she has been practicing ever since. She said that her father, Charlie, learned to play the Three Little Birds first and showed her the cords. (She also admitted that so far, her father is better on her ukulele than she is.)

"He has been playing it since he got it for me," she added.

As far as her performance on the night, Messerly said she did better than she expected and said she was nervous.

"I thought I would mess up," she said.

As far as the rest of the talent at the show, Layla said her favorite act was Stewart, Knowles, and Bishop who sang Trust in You.

"They were amazing," she said. "I think they sang really well and their dancing was awesome."