A Boston Public School teacher from Jamaica Plain. An Everett native who sang the national anthem at Fenway Park when she was 12. A law student from Dorchester. A boxer and bartender on the Cape.
Their lives are different, but they have three things in common: They all grew up in or around Boston, have distinctive local accents, and are finalists to be the new “voice of Logan.”
In all, there are eight finalists in the contest MassPort is hosting to find a new and distinctive local voice for announcements at Logan Airport.
Nearly 6,000 people entered the contest, according to MassPort. Beginning this weekend, he public will have the chance to vote online on which voice they like best at www.voiceoflogan.com.
“We the people of Boston are unapologetically accented,” finalist Samantha Edwards said Monday morning when the results were announced on Kiss 108 FM. “We’re loving, we’re diverse, and I represent all of that. So here I am.”
Kristen Ingala’s family is from the North End, but she now boxes in Hyannis and bartends at the Chatham Squire.
“I live down on the Cape now, but I’m known as that Boston bartender,” Ingala said on Monday’s radio announcement in a Boston accent still hoarse from the weekend. “And like, you can take the girl out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the girl.”
MassPort executive director Rich Davey announced the finalists Monday morning of Kiss 108 FM.
“I think one thing we’ve heard from our customers at Logan is, ‘make Logan Airport more authentically Boston.’ And one way to do that is obviously our accents, right? So we decided to roll out this contest and here we are.”
Gov. Maura Healey joined Davey on Kiss 108 for the announcement.
“I think people are so damn sick and tired of hearing my voice at Logan when I welcome everybody, and I think Rich is like, ‘We gotta do something, so let’s have a contest.’”
Davey said about 35 people listened to the thousands of entries and narrowed it down to the eight finalists. Voting for the winner will begin this coming Saturday, Oct. 24.
