Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Katrina Grant, Miss Westmoreland Cooperative Credit Union is the Miss Jamaica Festival Queen for 2008. The coronation took place at the National Indoor Sports Centre last Sunday. - Rudolph Brown

Like her Christian namesake storm that devastated New Orleans, USA, in 2005, on Sunday Miss Westmoreland Katrina Grant caused a torrent of applause that broke the levees of personal preference at the National Indoor Sports Centre with her talent piece.

With many of the parish queens in the finals of the 2008 Miss Jamaica Festival Queen Competition having personal cheering sections, Grant's dialect 'Strength of a Woman' took the house down and coalesced all but the most stubborn of the partisan into a solid mass of screaming appreciation.

The judging panel and the audience were of one accord, Grant taking the prize for Best Performance. And her fellow contestants showed their appreciation for Grant by voting her the Most Congenial contestant.

Miss Kingston and St. Andrew Traci-Ann Wint (who was named Most Culturally Aware) was first runner-up and Miss Manchester Subrina Ward (adjudged the Most Poised contestant) second runner-up.

Grant won a motor car and $200,000, among other prizes; Tracy-Ann Wint took home $150,000 and a refrigerator and Subrina Ward collected $100,00 cash and a microwave. There were separate awards for the sectional prizes.

Miss St. Catherine Marsha Campbell won the popular vote and, if Sunday's finals had been based on popular support at the National Indoor Sports Centre, then chances are she would have gone home with every prize and all three top spots. Her every appearance and the simplest of actions were met with howls from a large cheering contingent, but co-host Jennifer 'Jenni Jenni' Small reminded all that 40 per cent of the points had already been determined through the pre-judging process.

And before the 'Campbell cheerers' were silenced in their cheers there was a hint of disappointment to come. "Do you see what I don't see?" Jennifer 'Jenni Jenni' Small asked co-host Dervan Malcolm as they scanned the list of the final five.

It was a well-produced event which started on time, the contestants introducing themselves from the audience, surrounded by members of the La Blacha dancers. A high platform with curved steps on either side made for optimal display of the gowns.

For more on the Festival Queen Competition see The Gleaner tomorrow.