Eight Vie For Miss St. James Festival Queen Title

Eight young ladies will vie for the title of Miss St. James Festival Queen 2015, at the coronation show slated for May 31, at the Iberostar Rose Hall Resort in Montego Bay.

The contestants from across the parish, who have become cultural ambassadors, will compete for attractive cash prizes, gifts certificates and baskets.

The winner, who will be awarded a scholarship from the Western Hospitality Institute, will earn the right to compete for the coveted National Festival Queen title on August 1, at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre in Kingston.

Chairperson of the St. James Festival Queen Competition, O’Neisha O’Reggio, told JIS News that the parish competition will showcase Montego Bay as it celebrates 35 years of city status this year.

“In addition, the competition will be showcasing women, who have impacted the landscape of St. James on a whole,” she said during a courtesy call by the contestants at the Jamaica Information Service’s (JIS) Montego Bay Regional Office on Monday (May 11).

Parish Manager of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), Vinton Haughton, noted that the Festival Queen Competition, since its inception in 1963, has helped prepare young ladies for leadership roles in life.

“It is making young ladies more culturally aware and … creating women of worth, the epitome of the Jamaican woman, in essence,” he noted.

Manager of the JIS Montego Bay Regional Office, Sharon Earle, commended the contestants.

“I congratulate you all for participating in this competition, which is designed to prepare you for life.   By virtue of your involvement, it is evident that you have made a good choice and remember that you are all winners.  I therefore advise you all to utilise this opportunity to the fullest as you look to the future. Best of luck to you,” Ms. Earle said.

The Festival Queen Competition is one of the staple events of the Emancipation/Independence celebrations between August 1 and 6.