PRESTONSBURG — Contestants will be on stage this Saturday night, as the qualifying round of the Country Music Highway: Road to Fame kicks off at the Mountain Arts Center.

The show starts off at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, with performances by the MAC audition winners..

T–shirts and tickets are now on sale at the Prestonsburg Tourism Office and at the MAC, and those who plan to attend can save $2.50 with a ticket purchase prior to show.

“The talent found in Eastern Kentucky has been clearly shown over the last four days of opening auditions,” said Road to Fame judge Bernard Porter. “We had to make some tough decisions, but feel we have chosen the contestants most qualified to continue in the competition.”

MAC Audition winners were Jerica Blair, Eric Boggs, Brennan Case, Katie Cook, Johnna Dobson, JoLeigh, Kayla Holbrook, Erica Johnson, Henry Johnson, Amanda Robertson, Amanda Sizemore, Mason Scott, Susan Scott, Chelsea Spicer, Abigail Stanley, Ashley Taylor, Holly Thompson, Angela Vinson, Rebecca Williamson, and Shelley Young.

Shows will continues on Thursday, April 19, at Paramount Arts Center in Ashland, and again on Saturday, April 28, at the Sipp Theatre in Paintsville.

Legendary songwriter and Eastern Kentucky native Tom T. Hall continues support for the Road to Fame competition by announcing the grand prize winner will be invited to write and record an original song in Hall’s private studio on his farm south of Nashville, Tenn.

The grand prize winner will also receive a scholarship to participate in a course of career development and coaching under the direction of PCG Nashville valued at $25,000. In addition, the winner will act as an ambassador representing the Country Music Highway at various events throughout the year and will help promote the 2013 Road to Fame competition.

For more information on the competition, visit www.cmhroadtofame.com.