The first audition for this year's Howard County Senior Idol contest was held Sept. 12, at the Ellicott City Senior Center. Incoming visitors were told, "Elvis is in the house"! That referenced Elvis Presley, of course, and there he was, in the Great Room of the Ellicott City Center warming up the audience for the contestants.

It was Al Callahan, a former (2005) Baltimore County Senior Idol and that year's runner-up for the Maryland State Senior Idol title. He provided a very entertaining opening of the program.

Billed as the Swinging Singing Senior, he ran through a series of songs for the audience, which consisted of the visiting seniors who had lunched there and the audition judges.

Also, there were the three contestants: Ed Lanehart, who ran through a medley of songs recognized as favorites of various celebrities, Bobby Darin, Frank Sinatra, etc.; Ann Sophocleus, the singer with the Goldenaires and a member of the Fabulous Fifty Plus Players who sang "I Believe," and Danny Lee Lasswell, who sang "In the Still of the Night."

The program by the three contestants provided a very professional and entertaining selection of numbers/songs for the after-lunch crowd. Really, the professionalism made one think of highly paid professionals. Other contestants will have to go far to be better. In fact, another, who would have been a fourth contestant and who had been scheduled to sing, decided the professionalism was too much for her.

But, the fact that she had planned to sing the song her mother had sang to her is enticing to me and I hope she changes her mind and participates in the next audition.

The next audition will be Oct. 21, 10 a.m.-noon, at The Bain Center. Register at 410-313- 7213. The finals for the Howard County Senior Idol contest are scheduled for Nov. 19, at the Ten Oaks Ballroom in Clarksville at the annual Office On Aging sponsored Thanksgiving Luncheon. The Maryland State Senior Idol contest is to be announced later.

Meanwhile, other things are going on.

The Bain Center: Opera Appreciation, sponsored by Howard Community College, covering "Porgy and Bess," "Aida" and "The Barber of Seville," Fridays, Oct. 3-No. 21, 1-2:30 p.m., cost: $30. Register at the front desk, 410-313-7213; and, CARFIT, Tuesday, Oct. 14, trained technicians and health care professionals determine how seniors fit in their particular car from both safety and health viewpoints, free; register at the front desk 410-313-7213. The latter service is also available at the Elkridge Senior Center on Oct. 29, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. To register call 410-313-5192.

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