IN the grand finale there was only going to be one winner and so for the next year the title of Linden Town Week Pageant Queen will be worn by 19-year-old Latisha Phillips, who appeared as Miss Blueberry Hill.

Phillips was the outstanding one who answered the deciding question in fine style to be adjudged the best from among the nine delegates at the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground last Saturday night.
A large crowd flocked the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground on the evening for the signature event at the annual Linden Town Week which returned with a bang.
It was an uphill task for the commentary to portray the many beautiful designs of the different gowns, or the beach and talent pieces which were seen during the pageant contest.
However, it was evident that the judges got it right since the crowd did not show disapproval of the choices they made with the final four delegates being Miss Central McKenzie -Nikita McPhoy, Miss Coomacka – Shanti Paul, Miss Kara Kara- Kimberly Elexy and Miss Blueberry Hill – Latisha Phillips.
The nine delegates representing the various wards in the town were Nikieta McFarlane who was Miss Silvertown, Kenisha Regis – Miss Watooka, Latisha Phillips – Miss Blueberry Hill, Nichola Rodney-Miss Block 22, Renea Sydney- Miss Retrieve, Shevanne Charles- Miss Amelia’s Ward, Shanti Paul- Miss Coomacka, Kimberly Elexy-Miss Kara Kara and Nikita McPhoy- Miss Central McKenzie.
The young ladies who all looked glamourous and beautiful were impressive in their talent appearances but in the beach segment they paraded in the same beach wear, featuring   one design and colour.
The defining moment was their evening wear and this is where Kimberly Elexy and Nikita McPhoy stood out among the other delegates, but it was not much of an advantage since Phillips also looked radiant in her gown.
It became apparent that the deciding factor would be the question and answer category, and this pushed them to another level of challenge.
At this stage Phillips reached out for the crown with her terse yet pointed answers to the question of choosing between fire and water. Her summation that water is life was enough but she pushed forward explaining that she chose water over fire since it was a basic necessity.
It was an impressive showing of intelligence by all the delegates from their opening talent piece and a marked improvement generally compared with past contests.
In this light the young organizers, De Sheriffs Entertainment duo of Lincoln Zephyr, Jr. and Quacy Johnson must be commended along with Shellane Barker for a job well done in getting the delegates up to standard for the pageant.
Considering that the Linden Town Week Pageant produced the reigning Miss Guyana Universe in Raquyyah Boyer, who took the pageant to its highest level specifically in terms of intelligence, in her 2010 winning performance, the 2013 return of the contest deserved the acclamation it received from the audience.
Miss Guyana Universe Raquyyah Boyer was there and  briefly went on stage and  also making an appearance was the reigning Ms Linden Town Week 2011 winner, Miss Toshanna Allicock, whose reign spanned two years since there was no pageant in 2012, and she did the honours of crowning the new queen.
The presentation of the various prizes won by the top performers will be done on Friday at the L & L Lounge in Linden.