Brecksville’s Entertainer of the Year Contest Goes on Despite the Rain: Video

Despite , the finalists in the did their best to fill Public Square with music on Sunday.

The contest, which was sponsored by Hudec Dental Services, held semifinals on Friday and Saturday, with six contestants making it to the finals on Sunday evening. The first-place winner won $500, and the judges ended up declaring a tie for second place, splitting the prize money between both, said Special Events Coordinator Kelly McNeill.

The remaining three contestants all received gift certificates from local businesses.

Here are the finalists and their final ranking:

• First: Breakdancer Alex Gutierrez
• Second: Solo singer/musician Maria DiDonato
• Second: “Jersey Boys” medley: Christian Cronauer, Jacob Moore, Matt Rader and Andrew Sabol
• Solo singer Val Polinko
• Solo singer Janis Augustine
• Group singers Kaley Adamczyk, Paige Adamczyk and Dina Restifo

The show had been delayed and then broken up by Sunday’s ominous weather, but participants stepped up and helped continue the fun later than planned. McNeill said the band that was scheduled to go on after the contest didn’t play, so some of the Entertainer of the Year contestants offered to sing additional songs for the crowd.