Members of the Crest High School a cappella group, Tonal Spectrum, perform in New York City's Times Square during the group's trip to the city to compete in the Varsity Vocals International Championship for High School A Cappella in April. Tonal Spectrum

In addition to featured artist Kellie Pickler and special guest Walker County, a variety of local talent will also be showcased, with performances scheduled by Jaiden Huffman, Brooke Hummel, Crest High School's a cappella group Tonal Spectrum and the Burns, Crest and Shelby high school drumlines. The Carolina Panthers' drum line group PurrCussion will also perform.
Festival activities will begin at 8 a.m. with the 5K. Awards will be given for the first place overall male and female winners along with the first, second and third place winners in eight age categories ranging from 12-and-under to 70-and-older. All registration fees from the 5K will go to the American Legion National Commander's funds to support veterans.
A new addition to the festival this year is the Little Miss American Legion World Series Pageant, which will begin at 1 p.m. with crowning at 3:30 p.m. Titles, along with first and second runners up, will be awarded in eight categories. Each title winner will be assigned to a baseball team and will assist in throwing out a first pitch at an American Legion World Series game.
At 3:45 p.m., two girls with local ties will kick off the concert portion of the festival program. Jaiden Huffman is a 10-year-old native of Kings Mountain. Diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder at the age of six months, Jaiden defied the odds and has done all of the things she was told she would not be able to do. One of the things she loves to do is sing -- the deep love she has for music was apparent when she was only two years old singing Christmas songs for her parents. At the age of four she started performing gospel songs at her local church.
In the past year, Jaiden has begun to perform for large crowds and has sung for several charity and community events, such as Ace and TJ'S Grin Kids, The Abby Grace Foundation and Relay for Life. She recently started a YouTube channel and Facebook fan page, and was invited to sing for Nashville Spotlight during the 2015
CMA fest.
The second young festival participant with local ties is Brooke Hummel, a 14-year-old who lives in Blowing Rock, N.C. Raised in St. Petersburg, FL, Hummel built a strong foundation in the Tampa area singing at charity events and in her family church choir. In 2012 Brooke and her family moved to Blowing Rock, and she began performing at local festivals and other special events. She signed a record contract with BNR Records in May 2014 and recently released her debut single "Favorite Song."
More local talent will be on display later in the afternoon as the drum lines from three area schools will perform. Shelby, Crest and Burns high school drum lines will participate, followed by the Carolina Panthers' drum line group, Purrcussion.
Crest High School's a cappella group, Tonal Spectrum, will round out the afternoon's local talent showcase. Tonal Spectrum gained widespread fame earlier this year when the group won in the semi-finals and qualified to compete at the national competition of the Varsity Vocals International Championship for High School A Cappella in New York City. The 16-member ensemble finished in 4th place at the national competition.
The day will conclude with Walker County performing at 7 p.m., followed by Kellie Pickler at 8 p.m.
Other festival activities and attractions available beginning at 3 p.m. include: a sports moonwalk, a human gyroscope, area mascots, face painting, a rock climbing wall, street entertainers, a zip-through obstacle course, a mechanical bull, carnival food vendors, a corn hole tournament, an obstacle course, balloon twister and "Rat Race Track" (hamster balls).
Sponsored by the American Legion World Series committee, the 7th Inning Stretch Festival is the committee's way to show appreciation for the "tremendous job the community has done" in hosting and providing Southern hospitality for the series participants and fans. A complete schedule of the day's activities along with event and parking maps and other information are available at the festival website, www.7thinningstretch.cc.

By APRIL HOYLE SHAUF
Special to Shelby Shopper