WATERTOWN, NY - Week four of North Country Idol 3 kicked off this past Friday, March 5th, with all four participants from Gouverneur having been amongst the top 25 contestants to advance to the next level of competition.  This week's event drew an especially large audience, with several familiar faces in attendance. Many return each week to further support their favorite contestant.

Leah Card, a teacher’s assistant within the Gouverneur Central School District, was the first local contestant of the evening to perform.  As a country music fan, Leah was especially pleased with the country theme for this week’s performances.  Her rendition of Alison Krauss’s “When You Say Nothing At All” was well received by both the judges and crowd alike.

Mark Smith, no stranger to the North Country Idol stage having finished in last year’s top 5, was the next from Gouverneur to perform.    His performances always seem to please the crowd and this week’s version of George Strait’s “Give It Away” was no exception.  While a contest like North Country Idol allows Mark to further showcase his talent, he said that he does it for fun, and that he has always considered singing a hobby.

Kathy Bates, another North Country Idol veteran, is not only Mark Smith’s competitor, but also co-worker.  Both are employed by Kinney Drugs in Gouverneur.  This week Kathy performed “It Happens” by Sugarland, the evening’s most popular song choice.  Kathy appeared to be at ease on the stage.  She said that she no longer gets nervous since she has so much fun performing each week.

Britney Mulvaney, the last of the Gouverneur four to perform donned the stage barefoot and proceeded to rock the house with her version of Reba McEntire’s “Fancy.”  The judges appeared to have enjoyed Britney’s performance as much as the crowd, as one judge commented “Wow, you just did Reba proud…good for you.”  Britney, a recent Gouverneur High School graduate, began to sing publicly a year ago.  In addition to North Country Idol, she has performed at the Seaway Festival, the St. Lawrence County Fair, and has even auditioned for American Idol.  Beyond singing, Britney also enjoys playing the guitar, and even writes her own music.

North Country Idol is held each Friday evening at the Watertown Fairgrounds Exhibition Hall.  For more information on the event check out the North Country Idol 3 page on the Gouverneur Times site.  In addition to a weekly recap, and contestant bios, you can also access video footage of each week's performances.  Next week’s show, scheduled for March 12th, will further narrow down the 25 remaining contestants to the top 15.  Come on out to see who will continue their quest to become the next North Country Idol and to further support and vote for your favorite local contestants. Considering the talent displayed by each, it would not be surprising to see these four continue to progress in the coming weeks.