FAST FACTS
Sunday
4 to 10:30 p.m. - Manteca Independence Day Celebration at Big League Dreams. Admission is $2 for adults, $1 for those 13 to 17 and free for those 12 and under. It features children’s activities, home run derby, 19 vendor booths, softball tournament, family entertainment, and the annual fireworks show. Unlimited use wrist bands for jump houses, children’s rides and more are $2 apiece for ages 3 to 10.
9 p.m. (or shortly thereafter) - Aerial fireworks at BLD
Monday
7 to 11 a.m. - Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast at the former Dave and Sylvia’s Restaurant on north Main Street. Cost for adults is $7 and children $4.
10 a.m. - Manteca parade down North Main Street starting at Golden West School
5 p.m. - Family celebration at Ripon Christian High
6 p.m. - Downtown Ripon arch to arch parade
6 p.m. - Family celebration at Ripon Elementary School
9 p.m. (or shortly thereafter) - Aerial fireworks at Ripon High
Cheyenne Milligan gave it her all at last Wednesday’s FOX40 Northern California “American Idol” competition.
Her effort was good enough to earn her a spot in the second auditions – in this case, the Top 40 out of the over 200 who were given the chance to display their singing chops – at the event held at downtown Stockton’s Bob Hope Theatre.
Unfortunately, Milligan, 17, missed the final cut.
Milligan is among the performers on stage Sunday at the community Independence Day celebration at the Big League Dreams sports complex. She’s on stage from 7 to 7:25 p.m.
Watta Tarmoh, 19, won the all-expense-paid trip to San Diego on July 8, in turn, getting a guaranteed try-out for Season 11 of the hit TV show. She was one of four singers picked by the judges for the finals.
“Although I didn’t make it as a finalist, I was still happy with my performance,” said Milligan, who performed ‘Mercy on Me’ by Christina Aguilera.
Her mother, Pam Milligan, was overwhelmed by the support Cheyenne received from the audience.
“I’m her biggest fan,” she said.
An incoming senior at Sierra High, Cheyenne Milligan has been performing before audiences for over 10 years. She recently sang the National Anthem on opening day for the Stockton Ports, and did likewise in recent years for the San Francisco 49ers and the Sacramento Kings.
Milligan was the first-ever Sierra Idol and has been a regular performer at such functions as the Manteca Street Faire, the Manteca Pumpkin Fair, and the San Joaquin County Fair.
She’s also scheduled to perform Sunday in concert at 7 p.m. at Big League Dreams as part of the Independence Day celebration.
“I’ll definitely sing Country and Pop,” said Milligan, who is a big Carrie Underwood fan.
Underwood is a multi-platinum selling recording artist who caught her big break as the American Idol winner in the fourth season.
Milligan is looking to take a similar-type path.
She tried out last year for American Idol at the San Francisco auditions. Milligan, however, was thrilled to discover that the recent tryouts were closer to home in Stockton.
She and Katelyn Johnson were among those from Manteca pre-registering for the Northern California Idol event. By doing so, they secured a chance to sing before the panel in the first round of the competitions conducted in an isolated part of the historic theater.
“We were given about minute to sing,” said Milligan, who was able to get in the first verse of the Christina Aguilera tune.
That was enough to wow the judges into giving her a lanyard with a number necessary for all Top 40 performers.
The second session was held on stage and in front of an audience. The judges, Milligan recalled, critiqued some of the performances. But their words were fairly inaudible.
“We were allowed to sing as much (of our song) as we wanted,” she said. “The judges told (us) not to hold back.”
Pam Milligan indicated that these factors played in favor of her daughter.
“Cheyenne fed off the audience – she really got into (her performance),” said the mother.
Cheyenne Milligan was hardly deterred by her Idol tryouts. She plans to give it another go next year.
Milligan, in addition, is looking forward to auditioning for NBC’s The Voice later this summer in San Francisco.
