By Brian Argabright
An annual tradition returned to the Queen City Saturday night, albeit a few months later than normal.
The annual Miss Del Rio Teen and Miss Del Rio pageants were held Saturday night at the Enchanted Jardin Event Center in front of a select audience. With masks and hand sanitizer present and social distancing rules in effect, nine young ladies competed for the titles of Miss Del Rio and Miss Del Rio Teen.
Elaine Oyama won the title of 2020-21 Miss Del Rio. She also won Miss Photogenic, Miss Congeniality and Best in Evening Gown.
Jessica Renae Reyes was First Runner Up and was named Best in Swimsuit. Ariana Raquel Rivera was Second Runner Up.
Isabelle Lucia Levrie won the title of 2020-21 Miss Del Rio Teen. She also won Best in Evening Gown.
Rebeca Camposano was First Runner Up and won the titles of Miss Photogenic and Best in Active Wear. Jaleen Perez was Second Runner Up.
Also competing for the title of Miss Del Rio Teen were Paola Mares, Trinity Danielle Martinez and Mallory Veronica Polanco.
“It was a very close race. The difference between first place and second was less than one and a half points. I always tell the girls from the beginning that everything counts. I don’t think they realize it when I said that to them the first time, but it’s true. Everything counts,” Elsa Reyes, pageant director, said.
While only family members of the contestants were actually present at the event, nearly 100 more people paid a $10 fee to view the events via livestream online. Reyes said she was pleased with how the event unfolded, especially under the health guidelines, and said the livestream was something that could continue in future pageants.
“The biggest thing for me was the change in venue. We couldn’t utilize the Paul Poag for the pageant because city facilities are closed to everybody. We wanted to have people there, so we tried to do whatever we could to make it happen. The girls wanted it to happen, the parents wanted it to happen. We did utilize the Paul Poag for practice, but the girls wore masks and practiced social distancing while they were seated in the audience,” Reyes said.
“Everything at the new value went really, really well. I really have to thank Dan and Edith Peterson, the owners of the facility, because they went above and beyond to help us bring this event to the community,” Reyes added.
The pageant still utilized its traditional format complete with three judges and points awarded in a variety of categories including evening gown and active wear. Reyes said families arrived at specific times so people would be kept waiting together. In addition, temperature checks were conducted on everyone before they could even enter the building, Reyes said.
The annual Miss Del Rio Pageant is traditionally held the first week in October and serves as the official kickoff for the annual Fiesta de Amistad events. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic, the pageant was postponed until January 2021.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen in October. The girls that just left, that was the longest reign in the pageant’s history. And the girls that come in, that could be the shortest reign. If we do have the normal events in October, and crown new queens, the current queens will still get to appear in Fiesta de Amistad Parade. It’s only fair,” Reyes said.
