The story, as printed, follows:
GRAHAM - In recent years, American Idol and other talent hunting contests have garnered much attention eclipsing the smaller talent searches that still take place at local fairs around the country.
One such contest is the Colgate Country Showdown, which recently took place at the Mason County Fair July 28.
This country talent search takes small town talent and makes big dreams come true. The lure of cash prizes and a lofty title at stake, this contest is a serious deal in the world of Country music.
Country music is often thought of as a southern affair, but as 13-year old Jessica Jocoy is proving, even up north we have a little country in our hearts. She is currently an eighth-grader at Glacier Middle School in Buckley and recently participated in Colgate Country Showdown at the Mason County Fair. At the contest she beat out 11 other girls to obtain the title of runner up. It was Jocoy's first time entering a contest of this magnitude, but she said that even though it was her first time in such a contest she didn't let her nerves get to her. She said that even though the contest was difficult, her fellow "competitors were kind and friendly."
Darrell Jocoy, Jessica's father, thinks that for his daughter being the "youngest and shortest performer at this competition" she did exceptionally well.
They both agreed that even though the contests are fun they are still highly competitive; he believes that his daughter has a long way to go in her musical career and with a little more musical training and stage experience she will have no problems in the future obtaining the top prize.
Her runner-up status has by no means halted her young dreams of country music success as she continues to push forward by making new songs and learning more about the extensive field of music. She is currently working on various songs for her future album and her natural soothing voice has a wide range that lends itself to many other genres besides country.
Her natural talents have already begun to earn her a loyal fan base; she eagerly recalled a practice performance in Roy at the Grand Little Opry where an older woman came up to her after the show and politely said she came just to hear her sing.
Flattering comments such as these keep Jessica Jocoy actively pursuing her dreams of Country music success.
Currently she can be heard on online at www.onlinepopstar.com/community/Jessica-j, a website for young musicians to upload their musical tracks for fans and interested talent agents to listen to.
Onlinepopstar.com site functions similar to popular networking sites like Myspace, except its focus is centered on music and allowing young budding music artists to share their unique vocal sounds with the world.
Her future aspirations include completing an album and one day performing on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry similar to her favorite performer Martina McBride, a country singer whose powerful soothing voice is inspiration to the young artist.
She understands that competitions like these are hard and difficult, but says the best advice she has on dealing with nervousness and the pressure of contests of this magnitude is "to stay humble, don't be overconfident, and remember to keep coming back."
With these wise and inspiring words it's a safe bet that we haven't heard the last of Jessica Jocoy.
So country music fans keep your ears peeled for this budding country sensation in Graham.
To hear Jessica sing, please visit her web page and listen to a number of great performances, including her very first original composition, God Is Here.
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