On Oct. 8 a group of musical hopefuls will put its talents on display for a panel of celebrity judges with a cash prize going to the winner.

No, it’s not American Idol or the X Factor.

It’s the 2011 Southern Alabama Talent Showcase (SALTS).

SALTS is an amateur musical competition opened to the general public and all genres of music. The winner of the competition will be awarded $2,000 in cash. Second place will take home $1,000 and third place will receive $500.

Among the celebrity judges who will decide the winners will be Kevin Sport of Kevin Sport TV and Andi Scott of WLWI.

The event, which will serve as a fundraiser for the Georgiana School marching band, is the brainchild of band booster Ray Vancor.

With the school district being forced to tighten its budget due to budget shortfalls, Vancor worried that the school’s band program could become the victim of budget cuts down the road. He wanted to find a way for the band to support itself, and noticed that car washes and bake sales weren’t generating nearly enough revenue.

“My daughter is in the band, and they had done a few fundraisers, but they didn’t really raise much money,” Vancor said. “So, I got to thinking. Georgiana is a big musical town, so why not tap into that to help raise the funds?”

Vancor, the event coordinator, estimates that the event will raise in the neighborhood of $18,000 not including concessions if all 1,500 tickets are sold.

“We’re excited about this,” Vancor said. “We know there are a lot of talented people out there, and we’d love to have them in the competition.”

Auditions will be held Sept. 24 beginning at 10 a.m. at the Georgiana School auditorium. The top 36 performers will advance to the Oct.8 competition.

The deadline for registration is Sept. 10. Auditions will be granted on a first-come-first-serve basis and will be limited to the first 60 applicants.

The audition fee is $35 and will be due Sept. 21. The fee must be paid with cash or by cashiers check or money order.

For more information visit www.2011salts.com.