This year’s candidates for Lady of the Lake have been announced.
Nine girls will vie for three positions being Lady of the Lake, 1st Princess and 2nd Princess, with the winners to be announced on Saturday, June 8 at Lake Days.
“A three-month training period has started now and the judges first meet the girls at the end of May,” said Lady of the Lake chair Denise Allan. “From then up until Lake Days, the girls will try to accumulate up to 200 marks through training, poise, how they act in public as well as through a one-on-one interview.”
The candidates and their sponsors this year are as follows: Lauren Frost (Country Grocer); Alexandra Werk (Shaker Mill Restaurant);
Sam Oliver (Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 210 Lake Cowichan);
Madisyn Young (The Elks);
Lacey Grunow (Jakes at the Lake);
Kourtney Brooks (Cowichan Lake Lions Club);
Emily Walker (Rexall IDA); Charleen Tomlinson (A&W),
Marigold Arbic (Island Savings Credit Union).
An accelerated fundraising campaign will occur after the winners are crowned in June in an effort to raise money to send the girls on as many trips as possible to represent the community.
“Every year we start fundraising after the new royalties are crowned,” said Allan.
“We collect bottles all summer and do whatever else we can do including bakes sales, crafts, all that kind of stuff. The bottle collections are our main source of fundraising.”
The winners can look forward to a number of travel trips and resulting parades up and down the Island as well as some off Island depending on how many dollars can be accumulated.
“We’ll do as many parades as we can depending on money and chaperones. The ones closest to home are Honeymoon Bay, Youbou, Duncan, Nanaimo, Victoria and Ladysmith but we normally try to do two or three big ones off the Island if we can.
“We’ve been to Merritt, Peachland, Penticton and Kelowna before and for example this year the current royalties will be attending the Daffodil Festival in Tacoma, Washington on April 5.”
The nine hopefuls contending for the new crowns will have their first public appearance on May 5 at Cowichan Lake District Chamber of Commerce’s Spring Fling.
A month prior through April, extensive training for the candidates will take place and will include dance, public speaking with some special help from the Cowichan Toastmasters, and a requirement to attend Town of Lake Cowichan council meetings at the town hall as well as Lake Days meetings.
The Lady of the Lake program is currently in its 69th year of competition and crowning of local girls.
Notably, only students in Grade 11 are allowed to run for the positions.
