Laurel Tea kicks off 2012 festival season

WINSTED — The official start of Laurel Festival season is this Sunday, April 1, when prospective candidates for the 2012 Laurel Festival will gather at the Winsted Elks Lodge for the second annual Laurel Tea. The festival will be held Saturday and Sunday, June 9 and 10, at locations in Torrington and Winsted.Launched last year by Laurel City Commission Chairman Tracie Colabella, the Laurel Tea is an opportunity for interested high-school-aged junior and senior girls to learn about the Laurel Festival and decide if they want to compete in the annual scholarship program, pageant and parade. Scholarship awards have increased this year to $1,200 for the Laurel Queen, $1,000 for the first runner-up and $800 for the second runner-up.This year’s events mark the Laurel Festival’s 78th year, and Colabella said she hopes to see an increase in the number of participants. Last year, 16 young women were candidates in the festival, and Colabella said she already has 33 interested candidates from local schools.The contest is open to Winsted residents who are juniors or seniors in high school, along with young ladies from other towns who are juniors or seniors at Winsted schools. The majority of candidates come from The Gilbert School, Northwestern Regional High School and the Explorations Charter School.“We’re hoping to have at least 20 candidates for this year’s festival,” Colabella said. “Anyone who is interested can come to the tea on Sunday. Any girls who haven’t signed up yet are welcome to come. Mothers are invited to attend as well.”In the next few weeks, a final lineup of candidates will be determined for the June 9 and 10 festival. Festival events will include the annual Laurel Ball, which will be held at the Cornucopia Banquet Hall in Torrington on Saturday night; and the Laurel Parade on Sunday at 2 p.m., with the crowning of the 2012 Laurel Queen immediately following in East End Park.Sunday’s tea is semi-formal, with finger foods and beverages provided to participating young women and their families. The event will be attended by 2011 Laurel Queen Madison Peltier.In the coming weeks, additional events supporting the Laurel Festival will be announced, including a Laurel Festival Car Wash, Laurel Plant Sale and a local discount card program directing shoppers to downtown merchants.“We get a lot of support from Winsted businesses, and we wanted to give back to them,” Colabella said. “We wanted to do it without asking for a lot more from them, so this card is a way to get people into their stores and give something back to them.”

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