Prior to 2006, visitors to the annual Rupununi Rodeo did not have much to do on the Friday night preceding the Saturday and Sunday event.

The night life was dull and uneventful.

Since 2006, however, there emerged the Miss Rupununi Rodeo Pageant, Karaoke, and Dance Competition deliberately timed for the uneventful Rodeo eve.

Prior to this year’s rodeo, the Takutu Hotel held its now five years running pre –rodeo event and it was from all reports the best attended since the first one in 2006. The show lasted from 9.30 p.m.to the wee hours of the morning and the audience danced and participated in the Karaoke much to the delight of themselves and their friends.

Executive director of the hotel, Ms. Morsha Johnson, disclosed that Nympha Federicks of Yurongperu, Left Bank Takutu, was adjudged the winner of the beauty pageant from out of a field of seven young ladies.

Second place winner was Amanda Hodge, and third place winner  Tishanna Winter, both of Lethem, Rupununi.

Denise Case, Anderson Hodge (both of Lethem Rupununi) and Ronald Sampson of the University of Guyana were the first, second and third place winners of the karaoke competition respectively.

Top Style dance group of Lethem Rupununi, and Anil Roberts & Renella Hamilton of Annai, and Mervin Barker & Ebony Barker of Lethem, Rupununi, excelled in the  Brazilian Fa Ha dance  to win the first, second and third prizes respectively.

The winners benefited from trophies, cash and other prizes.

The major sponsors of the event were Banks Beer, GT&T Cell Link and the Takutu Hotel.  Also sponsoring the event were Best Buy Auto Sales; Medi-Care Pharmacy; Tours-R-Us; Brains Watch World and Guyoil.

Ms Morsha Johnson, who was emcee for the show, disclosed that the pageant was promoted by Takutu Hotel as a result of the demand of its patrons for entertainment on the eve of the Rodeo, and the desire of Takutu to add to experience of visitors to the Rupununi for the Easter Weekend.

The event originally featured only the pageant, but due to its popularity was expanded to include karaoke and dance competition.

This was the fifth year of the event and it is the intention of the Takutu Hotel to continue with the show to make it bigger by giving it an international flavor.