Festival Queen of Manchester Clover James (seated) poses along with first runner-up Samantha Johnson (left) and second runner-up, Cameka Parker. The annual activity was held at Cecil Charlton Hall in Mandeville on the weekend. - JIS photo Angelo Laurence, Contributor
The Cecil Charlton Hall in Mandeville was the place to be last Saturday if you are one of those persons who enjoy entertainment fit for the entire family, along with talent and good performances.
With very good support from the community, the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) staged its annual Miss Manchester Festival Queen contest at the hall to the delight of the patrons.
As the lights dimmed and the shadows of the eight beautiful contestants reflected on stage, the crowd knew it was in for a wonderful evening.
Dressed in orange and yellow, they danced on to the stage to the beat of ancestral drumming and without missing a beat, they introduced themselves one by one. Their outer beauty, not lost in the fact that this was not a beauty contest, the young ladies were all stars and winners in their own right.
The women, from varied backgrounds were, Mellisa Hislop, 19, a student at Catholic College of Mandeville where she is pursuing a degree in primary education; Ann-Gomaz Howard, 22, a student at Northern Caribbean University (NCU) where she majors in counselling; Samantha Johnson, 18, a student at NCU where she majors in finance; and, Deandra McKenzie, 19 years, a student at Church Teachers' College, pursuing a course in English language.
The other contestants were Cameca Parker 24, an aspiring lawyer who is currently a member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force; Shanique Patterson, 19, a pre-trained teacher and past student of Bishop Gibson High School; Kerry-Ann Simpson, an aspiring travel agent, and the eventual winner, Clover James.
Ms. James, a 23-year-old office administrator, caught the eyes of the judges as well as the crowd and walked away with the title of Miss Manchester Festival Queen 2007. She says she "anticipates all impending events with enthusiasm and expectations of good" and for her, good came on Saturday evening. She also walked away with numerous gifts and cash prizes. She will go on to represent the parish in the upcoming national finals which will take place in Kingston in July.
Crowned
James was crowned by outgoing queen Alicia Darby, a teacher of Manchester High School. Cameca Parker, who was voted as most culturally aware was second runner-up while Samantha Johnson was adjudged first runner-up. Deandra McKenzie walked away with the prize for being the most congenial and most improved .
While the pieces performed by all the young ladies were well received by the hundreds in the audience, it was Clover James's performance of Say Something that continued to echo long after she left the stage. Her tear-jerking performance encouraged society to not just sit by and watch as our children are raped and abused but to "say something" about it in a proactive voice. For young people, her message was not to use unemployment as an excuse to break the law but to "say something" about the situation while they find ways to help themselves.
