'UNC's Got Talent' offers joy-filled entertainment for staff and visitors

Many people have a secret talent of which their friends and co-workers may not be aware. At UNC Health in Chapel Hill on Friday, those talents came out of the shadows and onto the stage in the first "UNC’s Got Talent" event.

Many employees took a break from their normal duties to show their talents in front of a large and appreciative audience.

It was a welcome break from the usual, according to Deborah Erickson, director of UNC Health. "And we couldn’t be more thrilled to be able to make sure that everyone here as their talents recognized – and we had multiple entries, so many that we had to whittle it down to the 11 you saw today," she said.

Contestants did more than sing and dance — they dressed the part with colorful outfits, even platform shoes from the 1970s era.

A panel of judges took careful notes with the responsibility of naming the top 4 acts.

Josh Varnes wrote a country song called "Something in the Orange," and performed it on guitar with a story of driving in his car.

He sang, "The bugs feel my wrath, doing 90, broke trains in the back." With that song and performance, Varnes won first place. "It was a ton of fun, and the crowd was so supportive," Varnes said.

Ashley Reher who works at the Cancer Center for UNCRex in Cary earned second place.

She said, "It’s been great to get out there and do something new and something that kind of makes you nervous, but it’s good to kind of put yourself in those situations."

The show was such a big hit for the entertainers as well as the crowd that Erickson says there are plans to do it again next year.