Blue Jean Country Queens festival set for Athboy
Organised by Meath Macra na Feirme, the festival will run until Monday and this year is sponsored by Athboy Credit Union.
And the men of Macra won’t be forgotten, as an Alpha Male Competition will also form part of the programme of events.
The queens vying for this year’s title will begin arriving in Athboy today and will stay with host families in the area.
The winner will receive prizes to the value of €1,000 courtesy of the credit union and a beautiful locally-crafted tiara.
The runner up will receive €500 thanks to Forefront Nutrition, and the entrant placed third will receive €300 which has been sponsored by M & G Groundworks.
Those with the unenviable task of selecting the title holder are former Macra vice president Joe Gardiner, local entrepreneur Matt Murtagh, and previous festival chairperson Veronica Donohue.
They will interview each of the contestants privately, before the finalists take to the stage at James’ Hall tomorrow night, where MC Joe Healy will put them through their paces in front of an audience.
He will be helped along by ‘The Voiceover Guy’, as well as by musical interludes from The Side Kicks.
The festival will also include a street carnival and a craft fair, while the Queens will also take to the mike at Flood’s Bar to show off their singing talents in a karaoke contest.
The winner will be crowned on Sunday night at the CU Tent following a banquet at the Darnley Lodge Hotel.
The first Blue Jean Country Queen Festival took place in 1987. The idea for the event came from Carnaross man, Patrick Farrelly, who, legend has it, was driving his tractor when he heard the song ‘I’m a Blue Jean Country Queen’ on the radio. The businesses and local community in Athboy work closely with the festival’s committee to ensure its continued success.
