Connor Engstrom Of Mt. Lake was named the Open Division's first-place winner at the Amateur Talent Contest's Final Round, held on the State Fair Grandstand stage on Sunday night.
Engstrom performed his way to the final round by winning the Aug. 28 semifinals held at the Leinie Lodge Bandshell on the fairgrounds.

His guitar performance (accompanied by his own orchestral tracks) of "Rise of the Phoenix" earned him the top spot from a field of 12 performers in the division.

Meanwhile, Mt. Lake High School junior Britton Pankratz, the son of Dale and Carol Pankratz of Mt. Lake, advanced to the finals of the 2011 County Fair Talent Contest at the Minnesota State Fair.

Representing Redwood County, Pankratz won the Teen Division semifinal competition on Aug. 27 at the fairgrounds, then finished third in the finals on Saturday on the Family Fair Stage in Baldwin Park. The third-place finish is one place out of a chance to perform in the Minnesota State Fair finals on the Grandstand stage.

Pankratz performed a yo-yo routine to a remix version of the song "Cotton-Eyed Joe."