BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - At a cosy cocktail ceremony at Caribe Cafe last night (Thursday, Dec.8), the Press and some invited guests witnessed the ‘sashing’ of this year’s Carnival queen contestants while camera lights flashed repeatedly to cover every moment.
Apart from being able to observe these confident and courageous ladies, the public was made aware then of who was sponsoring whom.
The sponsors were called upon to place the sash around their chosen contestant. After doing this, each sponsor made a statement, some hopefully but confidently stating that their choice was sure to be the winner! All were expecting great things from their selectees.
The young ladies in turn expressed their sincere thanks and technically had a ‘practice run’ on public speaking. They promised their sponsors that they would do their best and presented each sponsor with a Carnival Queen poster. And they were all quite impressive.
The sponsors and their contestants are as follows:
LIME – Markysa O’loughlin;
St. Kitts Music Festival – Jody Carter;
Development Bank of SKN – Kalia Huggins,
National Bank of SKN – Desri Weekes
National Carnival Committee – Verlyn Williams
Carib Brewery – Trevecia Adams
Also attending the ceremony was reigning queen Iantavian Queely in her glittering crown which added some sparkle to the occasion.
Miss Queely, with her characteristic poise and charm, acted on behalf of National Bank who had also been her sponsor, and ‘sashed’ the Bank’s selectee.
She later displayed her winning confidence in the manner in which she performed the vote of thanks for the evening.
Caribe Cafe at the Sands Complex provided a warm and welcoming backdrop to the proceedings with the staff bedecked in their red Santa hats and red tops bringing the festive season into focus.
There was an air of merriment throughout the ceremony and later staff and contestants posed for photos in a real spirit of camaraderie.
Chairman of the Carnival Committee, Ms Shannon Hawley efficiently emceed the event. Also gracing the occasion was Minister of Culture, Hon. Marcella Liburd and her permanent secretary, Sharon Rattan, but all in all it was the contestants and attending paparazzi that dominated the proceedings.
