Octofest 2006-2007 Queens
By TriniView.com Reporters
Event Date: October 28, 2006
Posted: October 30, 2006
The Valencia Sports and Cultural Foundation presented 'Octofest' on Saturday 28th October, 2006, at the Valencia Government Secondary School. This event has become a popular event on the VSCF calendar and is supported by many inside and outside the community.
The Chairman of Octofest, Master of Ceremonies Mr. Guptar, gave the opening remarks. He stated that the Valencia Sports and Cultural Foundation was founded in 1994, 12 years ago, with only two members. Today, the core membership of the group has grown to the small number of twelve because according to the Chairman, they prefer to be selective about their members to maintain high standards rather than risk members with a poor work ethic. Mr. Guptar stressed that members must follow tenets such as professionalism, dedication, discipline and hard work and the Octofest celebration is an example of this. He also mentioned that the Valencia Sports and Cultural Foundation takes a strong view against the ladies parading in swimwear and so it would be absent in the night's proceedings.
Greetings were then provided by Mr. David Gadar, the President of the Valencia Sports and Cultural Foundation. According to him, last year Octofest was an extremely exciting show and he hoped that this one would be just as entertaining. He thanked people such as Mr. Anthony Orosco for working the stage lights and Triniview.com for their continued work and support of the culture. He finally thanked all for coming and wished all the best for the future.
The last address of the evening was given by the Vice President of the Valencia Sports and Cultural Foundation, Mr. Martin Terry Rondon, who indicated his pleasure in addressing the audience on this auspicious occasion. He advised the audience that they do not take this showcase of beauty in Valencia as a show of low standards, as for the show, the VSCF has put out their best effort for the attainment of excellence. He also informed the audience that the first prize, which was sponsored by the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation, was a trip for two to Tobago. Also included in the prizes were: over $5000 for the 1st place winner, over $3000 for the 2nd place, over $2000 for the 3rd place winner and $500 for the Best Gown, Miss Congeniality, People's Choice and Miss Photogenic winners.
The judges were then introduced and the rules of the competition were provided.
The hostess for the evening, Mrs. Debra De Cranie Pierre, was then introduced and she took the audience through the rest of the proceedings.
The girls began with a salsa dance performance to the song "Dance With Me". The crowd responded, screaming for the girls who had put across their well-choreographed dances quite nicely.
The Curepe based group, Tru Abu, provided entertainment while the girls changed into their evening wear, singing "Sweet Lady". Their first performance was delayed due to problems with the sound system and they were also unable to perform their second selection, "Get to Know You Better" for the same reason. They did return, however, with two additional members to sing "A Splash of Blessings" later on in the programme.
Other entertainment for the night was provided by Seema Ganess with an Indian dance, students of the Sharda School of Dance who also did two Indian dances, Princley Ada General with "Time to Love" and Corena Flandes, the self-proclaimed Miss Octofest 2013.
The contestants then came out to show their many talents, some of which were fairly impressive. These talents ranged from monologues, to singing, to dancing.
Contestant / Talent / Title
Oneka Latchman / Monologue / All That Glitters Isn't Gold
Rachael Ross / Song / Parang Melody
Anastacia Williams / Song / Voices from 'D' Ghetto
Amy Lewis / Dance / Latortura
Nicolette Elie / Monologue / Dat is Justice
Alana de Silva / Monologue / Pains of the Past
Aubrietia Rudder/ Song / Dreaming of You
Keisha Walcott / Dance / Chutney
The other, and arguably the most anticipated segment of the show, the evening gown competition, followed not too long after. The girls walked gracefully across the stage and stepped up to the microphone for questioning.
After the judges deliberated about the best answered questions (which were given to the girls before the competition), they selected the top five for another round of questioning. Of the final five, three were then given the positions of 2nd and 1st runners-up and winner. But before that, the following prizes were given:
Miss Congeniality: Alana de Silva
Miss Photogenic: Alana de Silva
Best Gown: Rachael Ross
People's Choice: Alana de Silva
Finally, the moment that was most anticipated. The results of the Octofest 2006 - 2007 Queen Pageant:
Winner of the Octofest 2006 - 2007 Queen Pageant: Alana de Silva
1st Runner-up: Rachael Ross
2nd Runner-up: Oneka Latchman
Miss Zerzura Bernard, the Octofest 2005 - 2006 Queen Pageant winner proudly passed on the crown to the new winner, Miss Alana de Silva. Members of the Valencia community would have to wait with bated breath to find out who would be crowned Miss Octofest in 2007.
Octofest 2006-2007 Queen Pageant in pictures:
http://triniview.com/album/Valencia_Octofest_281006
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