HunterGirl's homecoming: Thousands welcome American Idol finalist at Winchester day-long celebration

From learning to play music when she was 14 to being one of the final three participants in American Idol as she nears her 24th birthday, Hunter Wolkonowski described her 10-year journey as long but worth it.

Wolkonowski, also known as HunterGirl, is from Winchester, Tennessee, where city officials held a day-long homecoming on Tuesday to show support and welcome the rising artist home.

Day-long activities drew thousands of supporters far and wide around Winchester and the surrounding area.

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HunterGirl’s grand homecoming started at 9:30 a.m. when she was presented with a key to the city in front of the Oldham Theater. Wolkonowski visited an elementary school in the afternoon, and a HunterGirl costume contest was held ahead of the main afternoon event — a parade, followed by a concert.

A Middle Tennessee State University graduate, Wolkonowski was even named an honorary professor by university officials at the celebration.

Despite the glaring sun, the brutal heat and the backed-up traffic, thousands of fans stood along the road waiting for a chance to see HunterGirl.

"As a community, we could not be more proud of Hunter," said Yvonne Stewart, Special Projects Director of Winchester.

Many Tennessee artists tend to dismiss their true roots and claim they are from Nashville instead, said Stewart. So when HunterGirl paid homage to their "small town," the community banded together in pride.

"We're thankful she didn't forget about us, so we're not going to forget about her," Stewart expressed, encouraging the rest of Tennessee to show their support by voting for HunterGirl for the finale.

As a different way of supporting HunterGirl and showing their love, several young girls entered the HunterGirl Costume Contest. Contestants ranged from a few years of age to young adults, and all of them were extremely excited.

Carleigh Allens, a young fan, was one of the contestants. While talking about the contest, Allens spoke about how inspiring HunterGirl is to herself and others like her, especially with the artist being from Tennessee.

"She's a great inspiration to younger people. She shows that even if you're from a small town, you can do anything," Allens said.

That is why everyone is here today, Allens continued, for her.

Everyone, which was around 3,000 people throughout the day, began to walk toward the starting place of the parade route as the costume contest finished.

There were around 70 entries for the HunterGirl parade, ranging from high school marching bands to local businesses to firefighters.

One by one, each group of parade participants rolled down the street, throwing candy for the children and shouting out their love for Winchester's own superstar.

Spectators grew anxious, waiting for HunterGirl to appear until her float rounded the corner. Then, the crowd swarmed and roared.

Children shrieked with excitement and parents held supportive signs as HunterGirl smiled and waved.

The crowd thickened around her float as they shouted about how much they wanted her to win American Idol.

The day ended with a community concert at Twin Peeks Marina and Resort, where she performed with other artists.

Eventually, the buzz died down as people began to make their way to Twin Creeks Marina and Resort to watch HunterGirl perform as the day ended.

Thousands of fans gathered together in a field, but as the concert was held at a marina, many arrived and watched on boats in the nearby lake.

The sun set across the water, and the stage lights flickered over the field as HunterGirl played a soft melody that slowly quieted the crowd.

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"I've played so many shows to empty crowds and empty barstools. One person or 100 people, it doesn't matter how many people are there. Music is there to get people through a rough time," she said.

HunterGirl talked about how difficult these last few years were for her due to COVID and that she was grateful for her town and her fans' support.

"If there's anybody out there that wants to do music or anybody that wants to chase a dream ... it can happen. You just got to work hard and just go for it no matter what anybody tells you," she expressed to the crowd.

It has been a long journey, HunterGirl said, but in the end, it led to the best day of her life.

The American Idol Grand Finale will air on Sunday on ABC.

This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Winchester welcomes home American Idol finalist HunterGirl