The nine contestants of the Miss St. Maarten Senior Carnival Queen Pageant for Carnival 2011 have begun their busy public schedule last Friday night with a Karaoke session at Toucans Restaurant at Divi Little Bay. The young women had themselves quite a ball and took time out to also introduce themselves to patrons of the restaurant.The fun get-together was hosted by popular radio personality Darin "Versatile" Hodge and was organized by Micheline Warner and Tyrone Yates. Accompanying the contestants were Coordinators of the pageant Lisette Carty and Lee Williams, along with Dwight Williams of the pageant committee and President of the St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) Stuart Johnson.
Following the outing at Toucan's, the contestants went over to the French side to catch the Soca Concert as part of the French Carnival Celebrations and got the opportunity to introduce themselves on center stage to concert goers.
The outing was the first of a very busy schedule for the girls who will also be making courtesy visits to the Council of Ministers, various media appearances and visiting institutions such as UJIMA, the children's ward at the St. Maarten Medical Center and more. They will also participate in a motorcade through most of the districts. The contestants are also currently in the midst of rehearsals for their big night on April 26 in Carnival Village. They rehearse three times a week and are trained for the structure of the pageant, walking routines etc.
The SCDF has focused heavily on bringing back the Senior Pageant after an absence of a few years, and is elated with the nine contestants and the progress and positive attitude displayed thus far.
The SCDF is still calling on the private sector however, to come through financially for the contestants as they prepare for the pageant. So far, the SCDF said, many of the contestants are having difficulties securing the necessary financial support to prepare properly for the show. "We thank those who have committed to sponsoring a contestants and we are looking forward to others doing the same. The girls are not looking for much, just some help," the SCDF concluded.
