By Tyrone Reid, Staff Reporter 
Thirteen lovely mothers all in a row. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
BEAUTY REIGNED at the sashing of the 13 contestants in the 'Miss Jamaica Mother of the Year Pageant', held on Saturday at Curphey Place on South Avenue, St. Andrew. Although it was made crystal clear at the outset that the pageant was not a beauty contest, the night was one of remarkable beauty - inner beauty.
The mothers, all of whom seemed to be enjoying themselves, strutted their stuff in a well-choreographed set. Most of the 13 contestants were either in their upper 20s or early 30s. However one contestant that stood out from the pack, in terms of age, that is, was 55 year-old Patricia Taylor.
The founder and promoter of the event, which is celebrating its 19th birthday, Mrs. Blossom Lamb-Evans, in her address said: "I was inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King to promote mothers.... I am sorry he is not here to see what I have done with it."
In addition, she made mention of some undeniable facts, such as how vital and essential the women, who all wore the sash of 'Mother Earth', are to society.
The chairman of the event, Mr Harold Williams, also gave an address. Before leaving he made sure to convey to the audience that the pageant was not a beauty contest.
It was a night when there was no single crowd favourite, as all the mothers got their fair share of applause and support, especially from their families and friends who were in attendance.
The night's music was presented by the one-man band Ffloyd Folkes. In addition, entertainment was provided by Trishana (grand-daughter of the promoter) and Friends, who came to the stage and gave a lively dance performance. They performed the latest dancehall moves to some of the latest dancehall tracks.
As a part of the ceremony, the mothers had to present their talent pieces and, judging by crowd reaction, they proved themselves a talented group. The pieces presented included poems, songs, dances, a skit and a sign language display.
The honourable ladies pulled out all the stops; they held nothing back as they aimed to please the audience and the judges, the latter positioned in front of the stage.
One of the highlights of the talent display was the sign language presentation, the only of its kind for the night. It was presented by 33 year-old Sharon Neath-Johnson, who came on-stage dressed in full black, with a pair of white gloves.
Before Mrs. Neath-Johnson commenced, all the lights were turned off and Curphey Place was in pitch black darkness, except for the moonlight that shone down from the skies. Then her special effects kicked in - flourescent lights that made her gloves glow in the dark.
She gave a spirited and heart-felt performance without even saying a word, as she provided the sign language interpretation of the sung version of 'Psalms 121'. Ms. Neath-Johnson received several rounds of applause even before she reached half-way through her set. The audience was eating out of her hands as they clapped and sang along in appreciation.
Another good performance came from 24-year-old Theresa Small, who did a traditional African dance to the Click Song. She rattled the audience has she exercised her hips and showed that although she was the mother of a three-year-old, she still had elasticity in her waist.
Before the sashing of the 13 lovely and now proven talented and youthful mothers, they graced the stage in formal wear. It was a beautiful display of all-black outfits that sent a strong message of 'Black pride'.
The contestants were sashed by the last year's winner and one of the talent co-ordinators for this year's event, Andrea Grey, as well as the other talent co-ordinator and choreographer, Sydian Brissett. After the sashing they were serenaded by Mr Folkes with Chris de Burgh's Lady In Red.
The grand coronation will be held at the Jamaica Pegasus on May 26 at 7 p.m.
