Photo Gallery: Meet your Miss Castlegar 2011 contestants
By Kyra Hoggan
Photos courtesy Linda Swanson
Castlegar city council met the eight contenders for Miss Castlegar 2011 during its regular meeting Monday night, as each young lady introduced herself and offered a short speech.
Pageant coordinator Carol Summerville says the ladies have been working since January to prepare for pageant day June 3. “They’ve been learning time management, Castlegar history, current events, modeling, public speaking, resume writing, nutrition, make-up, etiquette, women’s safety and awareness – they work very hard,” she said, adding the girls have made a significant time commitment, meeting every Wednesday for three hours over the past five months. “It’s to prepare young women to be youth ambassadors for the community.” She said the pageant, which has been around since the 1950s, will see each contestant undergo a 15-minute interview with the judges. They will then perform an opening dance number as a group, followed by individual speeches about their sponsors, then individual speeches on subject matters of the contestants’ choice. There will be a talent portion, the traditional evening gown element, and then the ladies will be expected to answer an impromptu question posed by the judges. “A queen and princess will be crowned, but all the contestants will stay on to attend community events throughout the year,” said Sommerville. The queen and princess will attend out-of-town pageants and events representing Castlegar. This year’s pageant will be held at Stanley Humphries Secondary School activity room, at 7 p.m. For more information, contact Sommerville at 250-365-5332.
