DESTREHAN – The 53rd annual St. Charles Parish Festival Pageant will be tonight at Destrehan High School at 7 p.m. This year’s theme “Destination….Imagination” will lend for a very playful and powerful backdrop for this year’s contestants.

This year’s pageant is being dedicated to the memory of long-time director and treasurer of the pageant, Ralph St. Ament.

Doreen Landry, the director of the St. Charles Parish Festival Pageant said, “Mr. Ralph played an integral part of the success of this festival pageant for many years. His name is known all over the state of Louisiana and is synonymous with pageants.”

This prestigious pageant that has been a part of history in St. Charles Parish will give six young ladies an opportunity to become Miss or Teen Queen and represent their home parish of St. Charles. Chelsey Hymel and Lynleigh Landry, Miss and Teen St. Charles Parish Festival Queens, respectively, will crown their successors with bittersweet emotions.

“Both of these young ladies did an awesome job representing the parish that they love so much,” Landry stated.

Hymel will crown her Miss successor from a field of three girls, Brianna Triche of Des Allemands, Brandie Clement of Norco and Jenna Mire of Destrehan. Landry will crown her Teen queen from a group of three girls, Alexis Lachney of Norco, Gabrielle Riecke of Montz and Kristen Latour of St. Rose.

The pageant is sponsored by the Knights of Columbus No. 3634 and Shell Chemical and Motiva Refinery of Norco. This year’s master and mistress of ceremonies will be Walter Becnel, chairman of the festival, and Erika Beck, 51st Miss St. Charles Parish Festival. The pageant assistant directors are Celeste Stein and Kerri Montz.

“We have an awesome group of wonderful volunteers that come out year after year and help with the premier event in St. Charles Parish,” said Landry.

Tickets are $8 and doors open at 6 p.m.