PORTSMOUTH — America may have chosen many ‘idols’ over the last decade, but on Thursday Lawrence County might have an idol to call its own.

Kitts Hill native and local singing sensation Bridget Reynolds will showcase her talent in the 2009 Portsmouth Idol, battling 12 opposing finalists for the coveted trophy, $500 prize and the ‘Idol’ title.

Although she is confident in herself, she is also just as sure of the talent present in the area.

“I think it is going to make for a great night of entertainment,” Reynolds said. “There are so many different styles and singers. It’s hard to say what the judges are looking for, but I’m glad that I don’t have to be in their shoes.”

With a little bit of spunk and a serenade of a Carrie Underwood rendition of “I’ll Stand By You,” Reynolds hopes to woo the judges and win over the audience, who will ultimately choose the winner.

While this is only the second year she has participated in Portsmouth Idol, cutting through to the top 15 in 2008, Reynolds is hardly a novice in the realm of music. But she gets her talent honestly with family roots that stem from Bobby Bare, a bluegrass-picking great-grandfather and a California cousin who bopped with the Beach Boys.

A full-time social work major at Ohio University Southern and pharmacy technician at CVS Pharmacy, Reynolds has been singing longer than her memory serves.

“Between my family’s influence and singing in church, music is in my blood,” she said. “I can always remember my granny singing to me Patsy Cline and gospel hymns while my uncle played the guitar.”

Her first public gig: her kindergarten graduation, which she recalls as the “coolest opportunity.”

Almost two decades later, she has built a repertoire that spans nine pages including numerous opry-house performances, charity fundraisers and the opening acts for music big-timers like Jeff Bates, George Jones and Kellie Pickler.

But her most intense experience to date was the day she opened for long-time legend Loretta Lynn during The DAWG Jamboree, she said.

“I wanted so badly to be a part of the Saturday-night radio show,” Reynolds said. “I can remember my throat sitting in my mouth and just being so nervous to try out (for the show) in from of Chuck Black, the radio disc jockey and one of the coordinators for the event.”

The audition went well, she said, after which she was asked to be part of the following show.

“Next, all I could remember was him saying, ‘we will be opening for Loretta Lynn,’ and I think my heart hit the floor,” she said. “It was one of the most humbling experiences so far. As an artist, it makes you take a step back and thank God for those kind of opportunities.”

And although she recalls feeling butterflies in her stomach during “one of the coolest experiences ever.” Reynolds said she tries to keep her head leveled, keeping in mind that although they are superstars, they are real people.

But if country singer Keith Urban ever crosses her path, she said, someone just might have to pick her up from ground.

For Reynolds, the dream to achieve the level of success her idols have reached is not about money or fame. It’s all about doing what she loves.

“I would never want to make it (big) based solely on the income or the opportunities,” she said. “Those are just added extras if you are so lucky as to be able to achieve the career. I would love to just be able to know that I might be helping someone by giving them a role model.”

And as for being close to making her dream come true, she said she has many more miles to travel to reach her destination.

“I hope that I have many more opportunities to come, but I will leave that up to God to decide what I can handle,” she said.

For now, the local star is focusing on gigs close to home, like Portsmouth Idol, to jumpstart her career. And she is not letting the small-town syndrome drag her down.

“Just like with anything else in life, you do have to start out small and work your way up,” she said about living her dream in Kitts Hill. “You have to learn to appreciate what you have before you can be humbled by what you’re given.”

A little advice from her musically rooted grandmother was of some help, as well.

“I always remember my grandma saying, ‘You better be nice to people on your way up the ladder, because they are the first ones you’ll be meeting on your way back down,” Reynolds said, reminiscing. “I have taken that quote to heart, and I try to treat everyone the same.”

And though she is in Portsmouth Idol to win, her big-picture philosophy about her music is not making it a competition. She said she knows there are more experienced singers than herself, but her goal is to show who she is and hopes they love her for who she is along the way.

Reynolds is currently working on her first album in the Thunder Bay Records studio in Ashland, Ky. She said she hopes to finish late spring or early summer.

The 2009 Portsmouth Idol competition will take place 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Verne Riffe Center at Shawnee State University. Four contestants will be chosen from the 13 finalists, and the audience will act as the judge to name the winner.