Months of rehearsals went into the 2025 performance of Singing With the Stars.

Lift Host Baihly Warfield performed along with other well-known locals like YMCA Executive Director Sara Cole and Essentia Health physician Brent Ekstrom.

“I don’t think I have the most talent, but I think we’ve worked the hardest so that’s our strategy is to try to outwork our lack of coordination and talent,” Cole said backstage at the dress rehearsal.

She went on to win the competition with her rendition of “Hard Knock Life” from the musical “Annie.”

Ekstrom sang “Born to Run” from “Springsteen on Broadway.”

“I’m really honored to be here with a lot of great folks from the community,” he said. “I think we all take the performing arts really seriously and think it’s a huge part of what makes Duluth awesome.”

Baihly sang “I Won’t Say I’m In Love” from Hercules with her muses, Hillary Buckingham and GMN Anchor Sierra Naess. She won “Most Romantic Performance.”

The event was a fundraiser for the Duluth Playhouse.