MARYSVILLE — More than 40 singers, dancers, instrumentalists and stand-up comedians vied for only 30 open spots in this year’s Strawberry Festival Talent Show being held June 17, but Talent Show Director Marcy Giesler expressed enthusiasm for all the acts that auditioned on the stage of the Marysville-Pilchuck High School auditorium May 11-12.

Forrest Brown sat down for the first part of his punny stand-up routine, while Caitlyn Brossard did her best robot dance to the beat of “I’m a B.” The young girls of the Marysville Performing Arts Centre did a choreographed dance to Chuck Berry’s “School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes the Bell),” before Sami Hall Strutted her stuff to “Spanish Rose.”

In spite of some technical difficulties with his karaoke music CD, Dennis Sigler was eventually able to perform Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” and while Les Lorang needed a brief piano note at the beginning to get him ready, he was able to deliver an a cappella version of “Some Enchanted Evening” that he hadn’t realized was in him.

Sara Lee took to the stage wearing a jaunty sailor suit to croon “Honey Bun,” while Christina Lee shook her hips through a belly-dancing set. Haley Downey perhaps had the most impressive prop of the May 12 auditions, as she strummed and tapped the boards on a standing harp for a Baroque Flamenco.

A few musicians performed songs they’d composed themselves at the auditions, where the contestants’ age range went from four to 73 years.

“We have about five or six folks who auditioned who were in their 50s and 70s,” Giesler said. “We also had a number of returning performers, but just because you’ve made it into the Talent Show in previous years, it’s no guarantee that you’ll always get in.”

Giesler explained that the five judges for the talent show will all be different from the three judges who sat in on the auditions, to avoid any potential biases.

“The talent that’s out there just gets better and better every year,” Giesler said.