A variety of acts entertained a crowd this weekend and proved that Vicksburg is home to some talented people.

The final round of the Raise the Roof Talent Competition was held Saturday night in the Southern Cultural Heritage Center Auditorium, where four different acts battled it out to be named the winner.

The grand prize winner was Marcus Randle, who sang “Man in the Mirror,” by Michael Jackson. Randle brought a sparkly glove and his dance moves with him to the stage. This competition wasn’t the first time he performed for an audience.

“I performed it at school,” Randle, a student at Bowmar Elementary, said.

His mom, Nikita Randle, said he has been singing Michael Jackson songs since he was 3 years old.

“He’s always been a Michael Jackson fan,” Nikita Randle said.

She said her son learned about making a change in the community, state and nation through his school’s involvement in the Lighthouse School program. The things he learned matched up with the lyrics of “Man in the Mirror.”

“That became one of his favorite songs to sing,” Nikita Randle said.

In addition to being crowned the winner, Marcus Randle also took home $1,000. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do with his winnings.

His mother said he would be giving a portion to the Diabetes Foundation.

A group of family members including father Marcus and granny Mavis were in attendance to support him. A crowd of about 50 people attended the show and munched on popcorn and candy sold in the auditorium.

Three other acts made it to the final round of competition Saturday night. Propulsion Dance Company, featuring Amelia Brame, Livia Myers, Kimberly Thomas, Andrea Tower and Abigail Walters, did an interpretive dance to “Codename Vivaldi” in maroon tank tops and black pants.

Ryne McCallum had the crowd chuckling with a comedy act of impersonations featuring Robin Williams in “The Wizard of Oz” and Adam Sandler as a water boy for the National Football League, among others.

Victoria Gong, in a red formal dress, confidently performed a piano piece called “Scotch Poem,” by Edward MacDowell.

There were exhibition performances to add even more entertainment to the show. Yasmine Jade Anderson sang “Girl on Fire,” by Alicia Keys, and Miss Southern Heritage Mary McCaa danced to “L-O-V-E” by Nat King Cole.

An off-the-wall comedy act was performed by the preliminary performance night emcee Linnie Wheeless. She danced to “Wobble,” did a stand-up comedy set, played the kazoo and sang with the help of helium all while wearing masks.

The show began and concluded with four vocal, acoustic guitar and ukulele songs by Tessa Scandizzo and Stuart English. The emcees for the finals were Evelyn Johnson and Chris Burks from K-Hits 104.5. The well-qualified judges were Kristy Brumfield and Roger and Tena Long.

Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation executive director Stacey Massey said she did not yet have a total figure of how much money the foundation raised during the shows.

The talent competition was a fundraiser for the replacement of the roofs on the convent and gymnasium and the repair of the roof on the academy building at the SCHC campus.

“The cost of the project is $181,000,” she said. “We have a grant from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History for $145,200, and we have to raise $36,300.”

Massey was happy with the success of the show.