~ UTS sponsors three Carnival pageants ~
PHILIPSBURG--The Miss Mature Carnival Queen Pageant is back with a bang!
St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) will be introducing the contestants for their pageants for Carnival 2012 this week and has started with what it says is an impressive number – nine - for the mature pageant that caters to women 26 years of age or older.
Last held five years ago, the Mature Pageant has since been one of the most popularly requested shows by Carnival and pageant lovers. The SCDF decided in 2012 to give the show another shot and has been rewarded with high participation, growing excitement and a group of participants from various walks of life – including some former queens and others who are no strangers to the stage.
The pageant will be held on Monday, April 23, in Festival Village. The nine ladies will participate in five categories of competition - talent, sports, Carnival costume, evening wear and the interview segment - on stage. Contestants will also participate in various public outings and make appearances at SCDF events in the lead-up to their big night.
The backgrounds of the nine contestants vary from school teacher and hotel reservation manager to executive secretaries, medical workers and more. They are Tatiana Arrindell, Lisette Carty, Shanna Cornet de Riggs, Mireya Ostiana-Wijman, Davia Bailey-Wilson, Diana Gumbs, Lavinia Marsham, Sharon Layne and Charmain Radjouki.
"The hype around this show is already very high, just from word-of-mouth. When we start to promote all of our local events, we expect this to increase and expect the show to get terrific support from the general public," President of the SCDF Stuart Johnson said.
"The mature pageant is for professional women who just feel like having a good time for Carnival and doing something different. Some of our contestants have been in pageants before, some are past queens. We are excited that they chose to be part of Carnival in this fashion and guarantee that this will be a show that no one should miss," Johnson said.
He added that the show is being coordinated by veteran pageant coordinator Rhoda Smith-Fowler and her team and is sponsored by United Telecommunication Services (UTS) Chippie.
UTS has also stepped up as a sponsor for the Teen and Senior Carnival Queen Pageants. The contestants for those pageants will also be introduced this week.
