Alayah Watley, Khari Newton and Marley Robinson Crowned Crucian Christmas Festival Royalty

Zy'Naii Prentice continues reign as Crucian Christmas Festival Princess for additional year

Festival Village officially roared to life on Tuesday in an extravaganza of sound, light and color, as several young Crucians were crowned carnival royalty - Prince, Princess, Duchess, Duke and Jr. Miss.

The evening kicked off with contestants immediately launching into their introductory speeches, followed by the question and answer segment. Two Jr. Miss contestants – Jayla Newton and Alayah Watley – sought to impress the judges with their poise, grace, eloquence, and ability to speak spontaneously in response to a question. Ms. Newton, age 17, told the audience that she believed her generation’s greatest challenge was technology. “Why? Because bullying on technology is a major thing that causes people to have depression and anxiety.” For her part, Ms. Watley said that she believed violence was the greatest challenge to her generation.

Next up were the Duke contestants. Five-year old Khari Newton said that his favorite teacher at the Eulalie Rivera Elementary School was one who gives him snacks. Meanwhile, Ray Anthony Brown, who attends the Claude O. Markoe Elementary School, said that his favorite teacher gives him hard work, which he appreciated because it would mean higher grades.

Duchess Contestant Marley Robinson loves her teacher at the Ricardo Richards Elementary School because she is helpful. Meanwhile, 7-year old Re’khia Peterson appreciated her teacher for her nice attitude. Jaelyn Rodriguez, Duchess contestant number three, picked her old Kindergarten teacher at the St. Patrick’s Catholic School as her favorite, because “she always used to teach us lots of stuff.”

After the speaking segments, the audience was treated to a musical interlude featuring Avery, a young talented vocalist who regaled patrons with a seasonal number, as well as musical powerhouse Juego, who wowed with his signature high-energy performance.