NEW BERLIN – The New Berlin Youth Days got off to a great start last night with the crowning of Miss Youth Days at the Unadilla Valley Central School. According to Youth Days Committee President Larissa Hanslmaier, the event will continue throughout the week, “rain or shine.”
“Hopefully, the great weather on Friday and Saturday will draw a big crowd and it looks like the skies are clearing now,” she said.
The Miss Youth Days pageant which, along with the entire event, is celebrating its 50th anniversary, was well received and drew quite a crowd. Organizer Sheila Randall said she was pleased with at the turnout and thought all of the girls were doing a wonderful job. Gene Chilion, who presided over the competition as master of ceremonies, also expressed his satisfaction with the girls’ performances.
“All of the girls have just done a wonderful job this year,” he said.
The pageant was split into three groups each with its own winner, first runner-up and second runner-up. Midian Ottoson was crowned Little Miss Youth Days which was the category for girls between 5-8, and Brooke Brown became Junior Miss Youth Days in the 9-12 category. Finally, in the 13-18 age group and the most anticipated award, Kiran Borst was crowned Miss Youth Days for the year 2011.
Also, Linda Foote was presented the citizen of the year award and Abby Grace the youth of the year award. Kaitlyn Jackson provided live entertainment between groups to give the judges a chance to deliberate.
With the crowning of Miss Youth Days, the carnival can finally begin. The midway and food booth will be open Friday through Saturday and there will be many activities for children, youth and adults alike.
In addition to the prizes, rides, games and parades, the event is also an excellent opportunity for members of the community to support the youth of New Berlin.
“All of the money that is made from this event goes back to local youth organizations,” Hanslmaier said. SADD, FSA, Future Farmers and youth sports programs are just a few of the programs that benefit.
For those who have not had the opportunity to attend the event before this weekend, it takes place on the grounds of Milford Academy. Admission, events and activities are all free of charge.
“Our goal is to try and have a lot of fun without costing a lot of money,” said Hanselmaier.
Friday will mark the opening of the midway as well as an evening performance by the Country Limits Band and a fireworks show at dark. However, according to Hanselmaier, it is Saturday that has the biggest draw. The midway and food booths will of course be open and there will be numerous demonstrations and activities for children throughout the day. Hanselmaier explained that the youth days event did not focus on the rides, but on the free events for kids.
“We want to focus on exercise and promoting healthy kids,” she said. “It’s a community event that provides many things to do.”
Also on the schedule for Saturday is the Chobani 5K Unadilla River Run and 2K walk, beginning at 9 a.m. This is the first year for the Chobani run. According to Hanslmaier, Agro Farma wanted to become involved and to do something that would help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the event. Alexis Robinson, who has been working in the activities department at Agro Farma, said although the run is new for the company, everything has been going very smoothly.
“The biggest thing is the parade,” said Hanselmaier. The parade will take place at 6 p.m. followed by performances by Hailey and Shawn and Kaitlyn Jackson as well as a flashlight candy hunt.
On Sunday there will be a meet and greet for children at the library with their favorite children’s book characters and a cruise-in by the fire house for the adults. At 4 p.m. there will be a drawing for children’s bikes on the midway. The cost of a raffle ticket will be one non-perishable food item per ticket and all donations will go to the New Berlin Food Pantry.
All-in-all, said Hanslmaier, this year is shaping up to be a fantastic carnival and will provide an incredible amount of entertainment for participants of all ages. However, she is not the only one excited for the weekend’s activities.
“It’s a really great event for the community,” said New Berlin Mayor Terry Potter. “And it’s always fun.”