NORTH WEBSTER – The North Webster Lions Club 72nd annual Mermaid Festival is approaching. The festival theme this year is “Story Book Land.” One of the highlights of the festival is the Queen of Lakes Pageant. The pageant is open to ladies ages 16-23. This is a professional production to crown the Queen of Lakes and award scholarships. In preparation for the pageant, an informational meeting will be held at 10 a.m. May 6 at Ken Strong Production Studio, 1700 Kimal Trail, Warsaw. Contestants will be filmed while presenting their information to be played while walking the runway. Contestants are encouraged to bring legal guardian or family support person to the meeting. The Queen of Lakes Pageant will be June 24 at the North Webster Community Center, Ind. 13, North Webster. Contestants must arrive by 10 a.m. Judges will meet with the contestants for interviews in the morning and practice for the pageant will continue until dismissal for the parade at 3 p.m. All contestants must participate in the Mermaid Festival Parade at 4 p.m., and then participate in the Queen of Lakes Pageant, which includes theme wear and formal gowns at 7 p.m. in the gymnasium of the NWCC. Entry fees are $100 if received no later than May 6. Entry fees received after May 6 twill be $150. Final date to enter is June 2. The applications and rules can be printed from the North Webster Lions Club website at www.mermaid-festival.com then select applications or Facebook at “Queen of Lakes Pageant.” The Shoop Sports and Youth Foundation Inc scholarships awarded to the Queen of Lakes and her court will total $5,000 as follows: queen, $2,000; first runner-up, $1,500; second runner-up, $1,000; third runner-up, $500. The Foundation also will provide scholarships for queen’s conveyances as follows: first place, $750; second place, $500; and third place, $250. Because of the Lady Lion’s strong support for community projects, a Community Service Award in the amount of $100 will be presented by the organization. A congeniality award also will be presented based on votes by contestants. The Theme Wear Award will be determined based on donations collected for each of the contestants.
