MYRTLE POINT — It’s been less than two months since the Colgate Country Showdown narrowed 16 contestants to three finalists.

But for those three singers, it’s been a longer road to the local finals of a national competition.

The final four contestants performed in the semifinal Wednesday at the Coos County Fair, which resulted in Koral Aakre, Clint Guevara and Suzanne Randle advancing to Saturday’s final at the fair. Dakota Mills, a Myrtle Point High School freshman, was eliminated.

The 27th-annual competition is sponsored by hundreds of country radio stations, including KSHORE and KJMX.

The contest gained notoriety in the Bay Area two years ago when local winner Hailey Stout went on to win the state and regional competitions, finishing second in the national final.

Contestants advance based on the scores of judges Scott Bassett, Teresa Stout and Gino Harpold in five categories: marketability in country music, vocal ability, originality, stage presence and talent. Prizes are $1,000 for state winners,  $10,000 for regionals and $100,000 for the national.

A crowd of about 150 sat on benches, risers, picnic tables and the grass to watch Wednesday’s semifinal, when each contestant performed a set of three songs.

Suzanne Randle

• “Lovin’ a Man with a Broken Heart,” original

• “Something to Talk About,” Bonnie Raitt

• “Wrong Side of Memphis,” Trisha Yearwood

Randle, 35, of Coos Bay, opened the show with an original song. She acknowledged it was a risky choice, compared to the crowd-pleasing hits that followed, but said she wanted to do her own song first to make sure she had enough time to properly introduce it, because time between songs is at the mercy of the sound technician.

“I like to write songs that reflect how I feel, I like artists that are transparent,” she began her introduction to the ballad.

Randle showed comfort on stage when talking to the crowd, but during her performances she mainly stood still, never stepping outside the tent’s shadow, seeming unusually timid for someone who has such extensive performing experience.

Randle returned to the area last year after spending six years in Nashville, where she performed frequently at songwriters’ nights, a staple of the town’s amateur country circuit. A student at Southwestern Oregon Community College, Randle said she plans to return to Nashville next year, transferring to Belmont University, which offers programs in country music and songwriting.

She said she entered the competition hoping to make her return to Nashville with serious credibility under her belt, as well as money for school, and to share her success with the Bay Area.

“I love country music. It’s something I’ve already committed my life to,” she said. “I would love to be representing the community. Hailey has been a huge asset for the community.”

Clint Guevara

• “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” Toby Keith

• “What’d You Think I’d Say To You,” original

• “T-R-O-U-B-L-E,” Travis Tritt

Guevara, 17, a North Bend High School senior, has made it a round further in the showdown than last year, when he was eliminated in the semifinal.

As the reigning Bay Area Teen Idol, he’s hoping to repeat the success of Samantha Rogers, the 2006 Teen Idol winner who became the local showdown winner in 2007.

Guevara also performs in Little Ole Opry and other shows at Little Theatre on the Bay, as well as Solo Ensemble, in which he went to the state competition.

Unlike Randle, who said she decides on her song lineup at the last possible minute, Guevara said he had his song choices for all three shows at the fair mapped out at least two weeks in advance.

His set also included an original song, about a guy whose NASCAR-watching is interrupted by no-win questions from a woman who wants to know if an outfit makes her butt look big.

“This is a funny song,” he told the crowd. “I can’t wait to hear it with a live band.”

Though he succeeded in bringing the crowd into his other two performances, there was a noticeable loss of enthusiasm for his original piece. However, since the contest rewards originality, he plans to perform another original Saturday.

Koral Aakre

• “Suds in the Bucket,” Sara Evans

• “That Song in My Head,” Julianne Hough

• “Last Name,” Carrie Underwood

Aakre, 20, of Coos Bay, got the biggest applause from the fair crowd for all three of her performances, showing confidence both while singing and in efforts to work the crowd.

“I love performing more than anything,” she said later. “I just love being on stage.”

Like Randle, Aakre is a Southwestern Oregon Community College student who returned to the area after venturing into the music business; she spent last year touring the East Coast as the lead singer of Captive Free, a Christian band. Aakre has also performed locally in musical theater, Solo Ensemble and the Miss Coos County pageant, and as a dancer at the Opry.

Like Guevara, she is a Teen Idol alum, having competed in 2003 and 2004, finishing fourth both years. Teen Idol organizer Kevin Stufflebean, who was in the audience at the fair, said Aakre has improved considerably since then.

Unlike her fellow finalists, Aakre doesn’t perform original material.

“I don’t hold it against me,” she said. “What I have, I do well. What other people have, they do well.”

The contestants each will perform four songs in two sets beginning at 2 p.m. on the fair’s main stage.