Daviot Kelly, Staff Reporter

Patron of the Miss Jamaica Festival Queen competition, Lorna Golding (left), gives some sage advice to Miss Kingston and St Andrew, Traci-Ann Wint (centre), and Miss St Catherine, Marsha Marie Campbell. - Photos by Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

It may not have the glitz and glamour of other pageants, but the Miss Jamaica Festival Queen competition is no less popular and important.

The 13 parish queens (Kingston and St Andrew are represented as one) were sashed and presented to the public last Thursday at Devon House. The early guests watched the music videos from the finalists in the this year's festival song competition, trying to pick the winner.

But the evening was also about exalting all the positives about Jamaica, not just, but definitely not excluding the women. The contest was originally the Miss Jamaica Beauty Contest, but because of the greater emphasis on cultural awareness, it was changed to National Festival Queen in 1975. The contest would evolve into the Miss Jamaica Festival Queen in 1999. Silvera Castro of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission lauded Jamaican women for advancing to great heights in many fields.

Miss Hanover, Sanikah Allen (right), hangs out with reigning Miss Jamaica Festival Queen, Alisha Morgan, at the cocktail reception and sashing for the 2008 queens at Devon House last Thursday.

Before the finals on July 19, the contestants will be prepared in various disciplines from improving their cultural awareness, raising their confidence and developing their poise. Patron for the 2008 competition, Lorna Golding, charged the young women to hold their crowns high to shine like lighthouses in times of trouble.

The evening's programme was interspersed with performances from adorable young ones, demonstrating our great talent pool.

Guests out included Ali McNab, Kaysia Johnson, Georgia Morrison, Rev Ronald Blair, Orville Hill, Lisa Davis, Dr Warren Blake and Donald Brown.