Crowning of the La Reina de las Flores

Group photo, L to R: Back row - executive director Carmen Casillas, queens co-director Angela Sanchez, Teen Miss Daisy Anaya, Elite Beauty USA Marissa Sanchez, SCORE's Teen Miss Adette Hurtado, queen's director Marivel Hurtado. Front row - Little Miss Alexandria Fernandez, Junior Miss contestant Marissa Baez, Young Miss Olivia Fernandez, Junior Miss Priscila Salazar, Junior Miss contestant Mireya Ortiz. Photo by Jenn Walker

Posted Saturday, May 3, 2014 2:40 am

Jenn Walker

If you’ve been in this community very long, surely you have seen the La Reina de las Flores around town. These young ladies are involved in an ongoing tradition that has spanned decades.

The La Reina De Las Flores Scholarship Pageant has been around for the last 30 years; this year’s crowning took place this morning during Apache Gold Casino Resort's Cinco De Mayo celebration.

This year's La Reina de las Flores crowned contestants. Photo by Jenn Walker

“It takes a lot of courage, passion, and dedication to compete,” said executive director Carmen Casillas, who has been the executive director for the last ten years.

The pageant attracts contestants from as far as Kearny, San Carlos, and El Mirage.

Among other categories, the young girls are judged based on their service to the community. They raise money for events like Relay for Life and are involved in programs like Globe Clean and Beautiful. They visit the elderly, and perform at nursing homes.

One of this year’s participants completed more than 100 hours of community service.

“We really keep involved in the community,” Casillas said.

The girls are also judged based on how photogenic they are, as well as their talent, modeling, congeniality, and etiquette.

They even participate in an etiquette workshop at Sincerely, Sandra, an image development and modeling school based in Chandler. There, they learn things like how to interview on camera.

The pageant usually begins in February, though next year it will start in January, Casillas said. This year, 15 girls participated in the pageant, including two girls from San Carlos. Participants’ ages range from 16 months to 18 years old. Winners receive educational scholarships.

To keep things fair, winners are chosen by a panel of judges from out of town.

“It’s a very extensive process,” Casillas said. “We don’t know the results until we open the envelopes.”