FLORENCE-Do you or someone you know have a young child or teenager with singing talent? Florence Mall is looking for talented singers ages 6-16 for the KIX96 & Q107 10th Annual Florence Mall Jr. Idol Competition. The winner will receive 4 hours of free recording studio time and demo CDs from FAME 
Recording Studios to help further their music career, as well as a professional photography session from Kaptions by Keeta. Auditions will be held in Sears Court, Florence Mall onJuly 12th for ages 6-11 and July 19th for ages 12-16; both audition days begin at 4pm. Six finalists (the top 3 from each age category) will have a VIP experience on July 
24th riding in a limousine to FAME Recording Studios and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame for private tours of both. Finals will take place Friday, July 25th at 6pm in the Mall as part of the W.C. Handy Music Festival activities.
Interested individuals can pick up a registration form at The Shoe Dept. inside Florence Mall anytime during mall hours or check out the Florence Mall Facebook page for further instructions on where to download applications. There is no fee to enter! Contestants may only register for the day in which their age group is listed, and registration paperwork must be turned in no later than 5pm the 
Thursday before their appropriate age audition (July 10 for ages 6-11 or July 17 for ages 12-16). Registration will not be permitted the days of the auditions. Three contestants will be chosen to advance from each age bracket. The auditions and the finals will be judged by both the audience and professional judges. The audience will cast dollar votes for their favorite performers with all proceeds benefiting the Attention Homes of Northwest Alabama, Inc. The event is presented by KIX96 and Q107, and sponsored by FAME Recording Studios, the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, Quad Cities Taxi & Limousine Service, Kaptions by Keeta Photography, The Shoe Dept. and Florence Mall.
Since 1974, the Attention Homes of Northwest Alabama, Inc. has provided a home – a Boys’ Home in Sheffield and a Girls’ Home in Florence – that provide temporary housing for disadvantaged, at-risk children ages 10 to 18. Whatever the reason for referral through the juvenile court system, it is generally the case that during this time of crisis, (at times) the child comes to the Attention Home(s) because they literally have nowhere else to go. The Attention Homes are unique because they offer a supervised living environment that is structured yet homelike. The children learn that actions have consequences; both good and bad. At the same time, however, they are treated with compassion and respect. Residents in the Attention Homes are given more than just food and shelter. They receive medical, dental, and mental health assessments. They are given, when necessary, any needed medical treatment and crisis counseling. The Staff is devoted to identifying and meeting the unique needs of each individual child in the care of the Attention Home. Every year, hundreds of young lives are impacted through the Attention Home philosophy that “a little attention now will prevent detention later.”
MEDIA RELEASE/FLORENCE MALL/Melanie Orseske Florence Mall Marketing Director
