ELKINS — The first-ever West Virginia Wild and Wonderful Celtic Festival Pageant will take place this weekend at Davis & Elkins College’s Senate Commons.

The inaugural event will be offered on both Saturday and Sunday and will feature contestants from across West Virginia.

The pageant on Saturday will feature Bonnie Lasses, which are competitors 13 years old and up, while Sunday’s competition consists of Little Lassies, those newborn to 12 years old.

“This pageant has been on the West Virginia Wild and Wonderful Celtic Festival’s to-do list for several years,” pageant director Shanda Holliday told The Inter-Mountain. “We kept talking about it and everything fell into place for us to have it this year. So here we are, we are having it, and we are excited to see how our inaugural event turns out.”

The event is an official West Virginia Association of Fairs and Festivals Pageant. It will feature winners chosen from 10 different divisions.

“All the queens in all the divisions will receive prizes from throughout the state as part of their winner’s package,” Holliday said. “The winners’ packages include items for both fun and education, and all 10 divisions will be the festival queens and will represent this year’s festival.”

The Master of Ceremonies for this year’s event will be 2023 Fairs and Festivals Queen Bridget Altizer. Allie Smith will be the Pageant Ambassador and there will be an appearance from the Appalachian Scottish Princess, who will be welcoming guests and creating a memorable, exclusive experience for competitors with one-on-one attention and photo opportunities.

This year’s Miss Queen pageant winner will also be featured on the cover of the West Virginia Wild and Wonderful Celtic Festival magazine. The Celtic Festival and Highland Games are held annually on the third weekend in June at 4-H Camp Pioneer in Beverly.

For more information on this weekend’s pageant, call 304-667-7850 or email wvcelticpageant@ hotmail.com. Information about both the pageant and the annual festival can also be obtained on each event’s Facebook page.