Staff
FORT FRANCES—Organizers of the Miss Fun in the Sun contest are seeking candidates to shine in this year’s competition.
“Right now, our main focus is to find participants—girls to register—and that’s been a bit of a challenge,” admitted Aimee Beazley, who is sitting on the organizing committee being headed up by Energy Fitness Centre owner Jackie Lampi-Hughes.
“So we’ve been trying to spread the word the best we can, get the news out there and get girls thinking about it,” added Beazley.
Open to girls aged 14-18, the entry deadline is this Monday (June 8) by 10 p.m.
“That’s when we’ll determine whether we run it or not,” said Beazley, noting they want a minimum of eight contestants before proceeding.
Last year’s pageant was cancelled for the first time due to a lack of interest.
“Everybody sort of knows what Miss Fun in the Sun is. It’s been going for a while,” Beazley noted.
“It’s usually a pretty big commitment, lots of volunteer community hours, volunteering at special events,” she conceded. “So this year, what Jackie’s done is she’s kind of limited the events.”
Activities slated so far include having the contestants make banners and write their own bios, a fundraising car wash, a judged interview, a judged fitness competition, volunteer time with the upcoming “Relay for Life,” an entertainment night, and volunteer time for “Quest for the Best.”
The pageant will culminate with the Canada Day parade and crowning on July 1.
“In the past they’ve had to sell buttons, but we’re looking at something different this year rather than the buttons,” Beazley noted.
“We have sort of the rough outline of what the schedule would look like in June, but before we even get to any of that we need participants,” she stressed.
Beazley encouraged girls to sign up, noting the FITS pageant is an opportunity to meet new people and learn leadership skills.
“I think it’s a leadership program,” she explained. “It’s working on being confident, self-esteem, getting recognized in the community.
“Each girl has a sponsor, so they’re sponsored by one of the local businesses, so really for the whole month of June there’s going to be a bit of promotion involved for some of the businesses.”
Those interested can pick up entry forms at Energy Fitness Centre, which also is the location to drop off completed ones.
Registration forms also will be available at Fort Frances High School tomorrow (June 5).
