Brothers Earn First Place In Showdown

The reuniting of a brothers’ act highlighted a night with plenty of entertainment during the KVCK Showdown held on Bill Henry Field on Wednesday, July 7.

The Barry Brothers captured first-place honors while Pieter Van Heerden of Frazer placed second and Kaitlin Reid of Poplar took third in the eight-performer field.

Mark Barry, a new area resident, was delighted to join his brother Scott as they performed the humorous “Who Woulda Thunk It,” and “The Mermaid Song” tunes.

The Barry Brothers’ background includes playing on the famous “The Gong Song” and opening for The Beach Boys and Seals and Crofts.

With Scott living in Puget Sound, this was the first chance that the brothers had to perform together again since 2011. They started performing, along with another brother, in 1968.

“We’ve know the songs for a long time,” Mark Barry said after the performance. “We were glad to be able to perform.”

Mark now calls Wolf Point home after meeting with area resident “Dogie” Dillon online. The two got married on Saturday, July 10.

He explains he got the opportunity to see the KVCK Showdown in 2019, and he thought it would be fun to be part of the entertainment. The brothers have been practicing every day for the past week.

As far as their appearance on “The Gong Show,” Mark said they received a respectable score of 29, but there were two perfect 30 scores during that broadcast.

“The act right before us got a 30. Pat Paulsen gave us a nine, so we got a 29,” Mark said.

All profits from the showdown went to Wolf Point’s Little League baseball program.

Mark said he’s glad to now call the northeastern Montana home.

“This is one of the great parts of the world,” he said. “I believe it is the last, best place.”