SOAP LAKE — Eleven contestants compete Saturday in the Coulee Corridor Consortium’s Byway Idol event.

Doors open for the event at 2 p.m. at the Soap Lake  Middle and High School, located at 527 Second Ave. S.W. Tickets cost $20 and include dinner, starting at 4:30 p.m., and the entertainment.

This is the first time the consortium has held the Byway Idol as part of their Big Event. They advertised for applicants in January and judges narrowed the field to 11 contestants, Byway Coordinator Corinne Isaak said. The finalists range from a Soap Lake barista to a Moses Lake music teacher.

“They all have their own selection of music,” she said. “They all come with all different voices. They’re going to bring their music.”

They will be competing for a first place package of cash and prizes worth $5,000. The second place winner will receive $2,500 in cash and prizes. Each contest will sing one song.

“The audience is going to vote,” Isaak said. “The judges already selected the top 11. They’re not going to be mean. They’re not going to be Simon (Cowell from ‘American Idol’).”

Cool Waters Band will open the event. They were the second place winners of a previous song writing contest, she said.

“They’ve cut their own CD,” she said. “They have members who live along the byway.”

Dinner will include barbecue beef sandwiches, potato salad and beans.

The event is the major fund-raiser for the consortium, which works to promote tourism and preservation along the 150 mile of scenic byways between Othello and Omak, Wash.

Tickets can be purchased at the door.

For more information, contact Isaak at 509-977-1207.