Hernando County singer will compete in Florida finals of Colgate Country Showdown

BROOKSVILLE — Jenny Rimmer has no illusions.

She knows she's probably not what the organizers of the 28th Colgate Country Showdown are looking for. The showcase is geared toward unearthing the next bubbly, 20-something sensation.

Rimmer is in her 40s.

That doesn't mean the Hernando songbird is ready to throw in the towel just yet. When Rimmer appears Sunday in Pensacola for the contest's state finals, she'll be ready to give it all she's got.

"Maybe they're looking for the next Susan Boyle!" said Rimmer, with a laugh, referring to the frumpy, middle-aged Scottish singer who unexpectedly wowed the world several months back with her appearance on a British TV talent show.

Rimmer has already earned quite a bit of recognition for her singing. She was named the North American Country Music Association International's 2006 Female Vocalist of the Year, and she performed at the finals in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

To earn her way into the Colgate Country Showdown state finals in Orlando in July, Rimmer had to compete against 10 other contestants from all around Central Florida. She didn't think she had much of a chance.

"I was up against all these young, cutie-pie hotties, and I'm thinking, 'There's no way they're going to like what I do,' " recalled Rimmer, a mother of three.

But Rimmer had something no one else had — an original song called Little Girls At War, a tribute written for her niece, who is serving in the Army in Iraq.

Rimmer doesn't know whether it was the song that won the judges' hearts or the passion she put into her performance. Perhaps it was a little of both, she said.

"I think they saw that I was genuine," Rimmer said. "It was a contest, and everybody wanted to win. But for me, singing is all about emotion and getting people to feel something for the song."

Rimmer, who works in the dispatch center at the Wal-Mart distribution center in Ridge Manor, has been showcasing her talent locally for much of the past decade at venues such as Floral City's Sleepy Hollow restaurant and at the Bayport Inn.

The Colgate Country Showdown has a long history of being a launching pad for great talents. Country superstar Garth Brooks was a past competitor. So were Tim McGraw, Martina McBride and Sara Evans. Rimmer said the contest, with its $100,000 top prize and a chance to be seen by millions during the televised national finals, seemed like a shot worth taking.

"It may well be my last opportunity to try it. If it doesn't happen, that's fine. I have a good job, a loving family, and I'm happy. I'll always enjoy singing, even if it's just for the fun of it," she said.

Logan Neill can be reached at lneill@sptimes.com or 848-1435.