Owensboro’s Dylan McCollam earned second place in the talent competition at the Kentucky State Fair over the weekend with her solo performance of “With You” from “Ghost the Musical.”
McCollam, a 16-year-old junior at Owensboro High School, qualified for the Kentucky State Fair Coca-Cola Classic after participating in the talent competition at the Daviess County Fair.
“The Coca-Cola Classic has been a big part of my performance journey,” McCollam said. “What made me want to do it again was my big sister Kennedy. She has done the state fair multiple times, and I wanted to carry on the legacy.”
McCollam said she never goes into any competition with high hopes, so she just wanted to have fun and perform.
“But after my performance at the, I felt really good about what I did on that stage. There were over 50 acts who were amazing, and I just felt so honored to have been given the opportunity to sing,” she said. “When I heard my name called, I felt pure happiness and pride. I felt really proud of myself, and that is really difficult for me. I just had the greatest summer at the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts and I wanted to start my junior year with a bang, and I think winning second place was just that.”
Stepping into the spotlight is nothing new for McCollam, and it’s something she embraces.
“I have been doing musical theatre since I was around 5, but I have been singing and dancing for as long as I can remember,” she said. “I live and breathe musical theatre, and I really can’t see myself doing anything else. I love to entertain and move people with my performances, and that is why I do it. As long as I can put a smile on people’s faces, I am a happy human.”
McCollam said no matter where she ends up in life, she hopes it will still be in the work of musical theatre.
“I want to do musical theatre for the rest of my life. It is my dream and I have to reach it,” she said. “The big goal would be to make it on Broadway, but as long as I am singing, dancing, and acting, I couldn’t care less where I am doing it. It could be a huge stage or just the streets of Owensboro, but I definitely want to pursue musical theatre.”
