Contestants in the Miss Kingston and St. Andrew Festival Queen pageant after being presented with their sashes. The finalists are (from left, seated) Trudy-Ann Richards, Susan Scarlett, Nekeisha Campbell, Sherona Patterson. (From left, back row) Nelka-Jean Clarke, Susan Lawrence, Kimberley Forbes, Khalia Tyrell and Tashna Silburn. - Photo by Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

Daviot Kelly, Staff Reporter

Nine intelligent young women will vie for the tiara that goes to the Miss Kingston and St. Andrew Festival Queen.

The women were sashed and presented to an audience on Sunday, April 1. There was no fooling here, these contestants are for real. Confidence, brilliant smiles and attitude in abundance. The sentiment was that the judges would have a hard time in little over a month's time at the coronation.

The contestants are Trudy-Ann Richards, Sherona Patterson, Nekeisha Campbell, Susan Lawrence, Khalia Tyrell, Susan Scarlett, Kimberley Forbes, Nelka-Jean Clarke and Tashna Silburn. Chairman of the Kingston and St. Andrew Festival Committee, Stephen Jones, assured the guests that in this batch, they had the winner. The ladies range in age from 19 to 24 years.

The evening was punctuated by performances from Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) winners who thrilled both in voice and with instruments. Latoya Jackson, 2006 JCDC vocalist of the year, thrilled the audience with her rendition of Fever while Dwayne Foster, 2006 JCDC saxophonist of the year, delighted with I Love You Higher and Redemption Song. Little Aaliya Young, Mini Miss Jamaica 2006, performed a lovely little piece 'bigging up' Jamaica.