Courtesy of: The Morning News
By: Rosalie Klein
On Friday evening, February 1, the spectacular pageant to select Aruba’s 59th Grand Carnival Queen was combined with the Senora Carnival selection, for a varied and elaborate production in the Aruba Entertainment Centers.
Aruba has a Miss Universe candidate pageant each year, but undoubtedly, the Grand Carnival Queen pageant could be equaled to the local “Miss America” selection. The costumes, shows, and pageantry is without equal, each year taking advantage of the latest technology to present a spectacular show.
Lovely young Samantha Anais Robert representing Royal Carnival Group took the crown, as well as winning Best Show, Best Costume and winning the Revlon Best Makeup title. First Runner-up was Jeanique de Palm of Champagne Carnival Group, who also was awarded Best Speech and Most Popular.
Kimberly Raines, the Queen of the EPI School was named Queen of SETAR, Aruba’s national telecommunications company, by SMS and online voting, and was also selected as Revlon’s Most Popular.
Rounding out the field of five candidates were Giorgina Martinus representing TOB Carnival Group and Stacey Croes, the Queen of La Cabana Beach Resort & Glitz Casino.
Senora Carnival #19 is the very animated Gladys Martina of TOB, who also won Best Show. The panel of judges decided Jeanine Roga Wernet of Royal Carnival Group gave the Best Speech and wore the Best Costume. Olga Olivia Tromp the Government Workers’ Senora Carnival candidate completed the roster.
Aruba’s Minister of Public Health and Sports, Dr. Richard Visser, officially crowned this year’s carnival queens at the end of a program filled with rousing performances and sporadic showers, which dampened the spirits of dedicated carnivalistas not in the slightest!
