Dilcia Trejo

     This vibrant and intelligent young lady is a graduate of San Pedro High School and also holds an Associate’s Degree in Biology and Chemistry from St. John’s College/Junior College. Dilcia is presently employed as a teacher at Isla Bonita Elementary School and is remembered as the flawless 2001-2002 Miss San Pedro. Apart from stealing the hearts of the judges during that pageant, Miss Trejo also won the love and admiration of the San Pedro community as she devoted much of her free time to public and charitable functions, especially those spearheaded by the San Pedro Lions Club.

     The Queen of the Bay Pageant is the oldest event of its kind in Belize and one that is chock-full of patriotism, glamour and intelligent women. The pageant was established 58 years ago to show that Belize was not a republic but a monarchy, and as such, "needed to have a queen." The year the pageant was born, charming Rita Lewis was crowned as the first Queen of the Bay. To enhance the meaning of the pageant, a beautiful song was composed by Belizean lyricist Eloise Humes (deceased) to serenade the queen. It features such fine lyrics as "…..emblem of freedom to us on this day, reign thou in freedom Queen of the Bay."

     The selection of the Queen of the Bay is indeed a very lavish affair. Aspiring candidates need to be: "tall and stately as a mahogany tree, graceful like the pine tree, sweet as the orange and sugar cane, and pure as the waters." Contestants must also be Belizean by birth or descent to be able to qualify for the title. The difficult task of selecting the winner falls to the reigning Queen of the Bay who commissions a panel of gentlemen judges to advise her on who should be her successor to the throne. In order to be selected as judges for the next pageant, these men must qualify as "gentleman of discernment with a keen eye for female beauty."

     During the night of the pageant, the aspiring queens must first appear on stage to introduce themselves. Following the swimsuit competition (which earns them the least amount of points), the young women must display a talent. The evening gown competition is one of the most elegant moments of the pageant as each candidate must curtsey to the queen and the crowd, and then walk backwards to her seat without turning around to look where she is going. If the contestants turn around to find their seat, they are disqualified. The lovely ladies then perform a patriotic march, before engaging in a "chitchat" session with the emcee. Next, the five finalists are chosen, and then a final question and answer session determines the winner.

     The official coronation of the Queen of the Bay takes place on St. George’s Caye Day (September 10th) at Memorial Park in Belize City. The ceremony is held in the presence of the Prime Minister of Belize, the Governor General, the diplomatic corps, and a large crowd of cheerful Belizeans.

     The San Pedro Sun wishes Dilcia Trejo the best of luck and encourages everyone to show support for this lovely young lady by attending the 2004 Queen of the Bay Pageant.