Mishka Walford is Miss St Ann Festival Queen 2013

Carl Gilchrist, Gleaner Writer

OCHO RIOS, St Ann:

TWENTY-TWO-YEAR-OLD Mishka Walford will represent St Ann in the national Festival Queen competition as the parish seeks to keep the crown it won last year with Kemesha Kelly.

Walford was crowned Miss St Ann Festival Queen 2013 last Saturday night in a ceremony held at the St John's Anglican Church Hall in Ocho Rios. Walford won ahead of eight other contestants.

Kelly, last year's winner, crowned the new queen and said she expected to hand over the national title to her parishioner later this year.

Wearing the sash Miss Fern Gully, Walford won the sectional prize for Most Culturally Aware ahead of first runner-up Kedejah Green (Miss Nine Miles) and second runner-up Christal Gooden (Miss Drax Hall).

"I am feeling very blessed," Walford told The Gleaner after her victory. "There were some very competent ladies in the competition, and I'd like to congratulate all of them because I think we all did our best."

Feeling very confident

Walford said she was confident throughout the competition and said she would carry the same confidence to the national finals and retain the crown for St Ann.

"I am feeling very confident, but I know I have to do a lot of work, which I am well prepared to do because the crown must come back to St Ann this year. I am very confident it will." Walford said.

St Ann won the national festival queen title in 2009 and 2012.

The coronation was held before a fair-sized crowd, with several contestants receiving wild applause from their respective cheering sections. The announcement of Walford as winner was greeted with rapturous applause as she was deservedly crowned winner in a keen contest which included some good performances in the talent section, which went to Gooden. Julia Robinson was voted most congenial by fellow contestants.