The deadline to enter this year’s Raise the Roof talent show is March 30, so if you want to dance and sing across the stage, you need to sign up soon.

It’s the third year of the event, with the proceeds benefitting the Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation’s new roof campaign. The SCHF received a grant to pay the majority of the costs for the roof, but also had to raise some money. They’ve raised $15,480, but still need to raise $20,820 more.

“We’ve done pretty good,” Stacey Mahoney, the executive director of the Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation, said. “We’re hoping that this will be a good year for us, and we will get closer to that goal. So that’s what the reason that we started the contest, just a fun way to have a fundraiser.”

In the previous years, a large array of unique talent from Vicksburg has  shown up for the competition.

“We have had dancers, we have had people sing, we’ve had people play musical instruments, we’ve had a comedian, we’ve had different kinds of talent, it’s been a nice variety,” Mahoney said. “All categories can compete and then all ages.”

The reward for the competition will be cash prizes. The winner will receive $300, the first runner up will receive $150, the second runner up will receive $125 and the third runner up will receive $100.

Mahoney stressed that the community played a vital role in the competition, with the audience members even getting involved in the fun.

“I think it gives Vicksburg a place to showcase their talent, whatever it may be, and come together and get support from the community,” Mahoney said. “The audience gets to participate in a portion of the voting system. Ten percent of the voting comes from the audience. Each audience member will receive a voting slip, so that they can vote for their favorite contestant. That is calculated into the judges scoring.”

“It’s a fun community event, it’s a place that gives people a chance to enter and show off their talent, number one, and then the rest of the community can come to the show, watch the show, support their favorite contestant and even put in a vote,” Mahoney continued.

The dates of the competition are Friday and Saturday, April 13-14.  Friday night is the preliminary competition, which will feature all of the participants. Then, 10 finalists will be chosen to compete for the cash prizes on Saturday night.

The entry fees are $20 for an individual and $50 for a group of three or more. To register, visit southernculture.org or call 601-631-2997.