North Webster Lions Club 69th annual Mermaid Festival is rapidly approaching.

One of the highlights of the festival is the Queen of Lakes Pageant. The pageant has all the glamour, thrill and excitement of those shown on television but with local stars. The pageant is open to women ages 16-23. With years of history the title of Queen of Lakes is a very special achievement that includes scholarship money.

Early bird entry fees are $100 if postmarked no later than Saturday, May 3. Entry fees received after May 3 will be $150. The applications and rules can be printed from the North Webster Lions Club website at mermaid-festival.com or Facebook at “Queen of the Lakes Pageant.” Email [email protected] for more information.

Queen of Lakes Pageant will be held Saturday, June 28, at the North Webster Community Center, 301 N. Main St., located on SR 13. Contestants must arrive by 10 a.m. Judges will meet with the contestants for interviews in the morning and practice for the pageant will continue until dismissal for the parade.

All contestants must participate in the Mermaid Festival parade to be held at 4 p.m. Judging of parade entries will be on reflection of the theme “Return to Camelot.”

Judging during the pageant will be on “Return to Camelot” theme wear and formal gowns at 7 p.m. in the gymnasium of the North Webster Community Center.

The organizational/informational meeting for the pageant will be 10 a.m. Saturday, May 3, at the Tippecanoe Township Building, 102 S. Morton St. located across the street from the Mermaid Festival Grounds at the corner of Morton and Washington streets.

Shoop Sports and Youth Foundation Inc will provide scholarships totaling $5,000 that will be awarded to the Queen of Lakes and her court. North Webster Lioness Club will provide a $100 Community Service Award and a Miss Congeniality award. Queen of Lakes parade prize scholarships awarded by the Shoop Sports and Youth Foundation will total $1,500.

(See related article on the festival’s Cutie Contest.