(L to R) Contestant #1 Sh’Nyah Bacon, Contestant #2 La’Monèe Morris and Contestant #3 Tashyia King will vie for the St. John Festival Princess crown on June 17.
Get ready St. John!
Winston Wells ball field is the place to be on Sunday evening, June 17, when the St. John Festival Princess Selection Show kicks off at 6 p.m.
Always an enjoyable night, this year the crowd is in for a treat as three talented young girls have been perfecting their dance steps and stage walks for months in preparation for the show.
Contestant number one is Sh’Nyah Bacon, a nine-year-old fourth grader at the Julius E. Sprauve School. Bacon decided to throw her hat in the Festival Princess ring in order for the community to learn about her.
“I decided to run for princess because I thought it would be a good experience for me,” said Bacon. “I think it will be nice for people to get to know me better.”
While putting in long hours of work with chaperones Shatik Stevens and Lee Ann Oquendo, Bacon has still been having fun through the experience, she explained.
“The best part of running for princess has been hanging around the other girls and getting to know them,” Bacon said.
This poised young lady is not scared at all about taking the stage on Sunday night, June 17, she added.
“I’ve been dancing for a while,” said Bacon. “I’m not nervous at all.”
Contestant number two is La’Monee Morris, a 10-year-old Ulla L. Muller Elementary School fourth grader who is excited to show off her years of dance experience.
“I’ve been dancing since I was four-years-old,” said Morris. “Jazz is my favorite type of dance.”
Morris decided to enter the competition as away to set an example for younger students at her school, she explained.
“I wanted to run for Festival Princess because you get to make new friends and I wanted to be a good role model for people at my school,” Morris said.
Morris has been working hard on those dance steps with her chaperone Teryssa Thomas, but still loves practice.
“Practice is the best thing about running for princess,” she said. “I love practicing the dance routines.”
Contestant number three is Tashyia King, an 11-year-old sixth grader at Joseph Gomez Elementary School who is competing in her second Festival Princess Selection Show.
Although King did not end up taking home the crown two years ago when she vied for the title of St. John Festival Princess, she takes her hard-earned experience on stage in front of the crowd into the June 17 competition.
“I decided to run for princess again because they teach you etiquette, poise and you get a lot of exercise,” said King. “Also it’s a lot of fun.”
While she wouldn’t divulge what talent she will be showing off at the Selection Show, King is excited to wow the audience, she explained.
“I’m really excited about the swimsuit portion and the talent portion of the show,” said King.
King’s chaperones are Tashya Deyonca and Renee Wilkinson.
Whoever ends up taking the crown on June 17, the St. John Festival and Cultural Committee has a fantastic Princess Selection Show in store for Love City.
So mark those calendars, for Sunday, June 17, at 6 p.m. and pick up tickets at Chelsea Drug Store on the second floor of The Marketplace or W&W Fast Food in Cruz Bay.
