SUNBURY — Out of themillionMoose Lodge members across the globe, Sunbury’s chapter now plays hometo the 2016 Moose Lodge karaoke world champion.
Her name is Cassie Paul.
Cassie, 29, of Sunbury, who tends barat the Moose Lodge 181, was asked to compete in the Moose Lodgekaraoke battle competition by her patrons at the Market Street chapter last winter.“I wasn’t going to do it but then I just agreed,” Cassie said Wednesday.
In March she made her way to Middleburg for a local competition. She competed against about 14 other individuals for a shot at going to the state competition in Pittsburgh.
She won.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Cassie said. “After it was over, I realized I was going to Pittsburghto compete and I knew the people were going to be really good.”
Cassie and more than 20 of the Sunbury Moose Lodge members packed a van and drove across the state in May where Cassie competed against more than 20 others in the fight to make it to the national stage.
She won again.
“I was like 'no way',” Cassie said after the three judges made their decision. “And then I was even more stunned at what happened next.”
One of the judges pulled Cassie off to the side and asked her if she would do him the honor and sing at his wedding.
“I was completely surprised,” she said. “I drove back out to Pittsburgh and attended and sang at his wedding.”
With the anticipatonmounting, Cassie and the crew at the Moose were getting travel plans ready to make the trip to St. Louis where the2005 Shikellamy graduate competed to win the biggest crown.
Cassie arrived to St. Louis on July 1 with her parents Tina and Dale Paul, a Valley celebrity in his own right as the bass guitarist for the popular rock n’ roll band Jesse.
“She was amazing,” Dale said. “I don’t know the words to describe this. I couldn’t be more proud of her.”
More than 15 Sunbury residents decided to chase the plane out west and drove to see their favorite bartenderperform.
Cassie arrived in St. Louis,rested and got prepared for her performance the next day, she said. Cassie entered the convention center on July 2 and said to herself, “there won’t be that many people here so I just have to focus on my singing,” she said.
Cassie was wrong.
“I looked up and I could not believe what I saw,” Cassie said. “There were so many people in the building waiting for the show to start.”
The total count was 9,000 in attendance to see the Top 12 compete, Cassie said.
Casie starting warming up. “I told myself they can’t hear you off the stage but I need to make sure they hear me when I am on the stage,” she said. “Then I went out and sang my first song.”
Cassie sang “Don’t Cry Out Loud,” by Melissa Manchester.
After the performance Cassie was informed she had made the first cut and she now was down to the final 6.
She sang “My Man,” by Barbra Streisand.
“I didn’t think I would make the Top 6 but then after I sang my second song they told me I was in the final three,” Cassie said.
Cassie ended the competition with “Don’t Rain on my Parade,” again by Barbra Streisand. Moments after Cassie’s rendition sheinformed she had just won the competition and a $5,000 grand prize.
Cassie was asked to do an encore and she decided to sing “Wind Beneath by Wings,” by Bette Midler where she was flooded with cheers from the Sunbury crew and the other thousands in attendance, she said.
“The best part of the night was when I walked off the stage and saw my friends and family and all the children who were walking up to me asking me to sign autographs and take pictures with them,” Cassie said. “It was just so touching.”
Glenn Oberlin, the Sunbury Moose Lodge 181 administrator, made the trip to St. Louis to support his bartender, he said.
“She blew them all away,” he said. “She is a terrific singer.”
Oberlin said the trip was 12 hours out and 12 hours back and he couldn’t have been happier to be there.“We are all so proud of her here at the Moose,” he said. “She not made us proud but she made the whole state of Pennsylvania proud.”
The children that Cassie greeted werefrom the Mooseheart, which is a residential childcare facility, in Chicago. The facility is for children and teens in need from infancy through high school.
Cassie made her singing debut in 2010 at the Sunbury Riverfestival Valley’s Got Talent competition where she finished in second place.In 2012 Cassieappeared ontheABC reality television show, “Karaoke Battle USA,” where she was greeted byCarnie Wilson and the host of the show Joey Fatone.Fatone was a member of the 1990s pop band n’ Sync, and Wilson, daughter of the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, is best known for being part of the Wilson Phillips trio.
“I am so thankful for everything and I can not thank the Moose, my friends and my family enough for everything,” Cassie said. “I am still in shock.” Cassie said she has since been contacted by talent agencies looking for her to meet with them and discuss her future.
“We will see,” she said. “We will see.”
Email comments to fscarcella@dailyitem.com. Follow Francis on Twitter @scarcella11
