TEARS of joy flowed as two kings and a queen were crowned at the San Fernando Pre Dimanche Gras – Night of Monarchs show, dedicated to the late Cecil “Maestro” Humes, at Skinner Park, San Fernando on Friday night.

Among them, siblings Joel Roney John, and Allison Emma John, both representing Ayana Kalicharan’s band. They were crowned King and Queen of Carnival.

Allison’s costume was titled Beauty in the Bacchanal Madame Koskell – A tribute to Wendy Kalicharan. Her brother portrayed We Dey... in the Mas.

[caption id="attachment_1062947" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Allison Emma John winner of Queen of Bands competition on February 9, at Skinner Park, San Fernando. - Grevic Alvarado[/caption]

In the calypso category, Darwren Greenidge, singing under the sobriquet Pharoah, was crowned South Calypso Monarch to claim the crown and a cash prize of $20,000. He dethroned reigning Victoria Cooper-Rahim, also known as Queen Victoria, who placed seventh.

The third place in the 2024 Young Kings and second place in the Protective Arms Monarch competition sang a comical and up-tempo political commentary called, Ah Doh Want to Do it, about PDP leader Watson Duke and the sexual scandal with former party official Kezel Jackson.

Singing in second place before a sparse but appreciative Skinner Park audience, Greendige secured his place in winner’s row and got the judges nod with a total of 430 points, ahead of the other 11 competitors.

[caption id="attachment_1062949" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Darwren Greenidge winner of the Calypso Monarch 2024 hosted by the San Fernando Carnival Committee on February 9 at Skinner Park, San Fernando. - Grevic Alvarado[/caption]

He scored five points more than popular second-place winner Wayne “Impulse” Modeste who ended the competition with a demonstration of his masterful skills at double entendre.

With a very animated and musical offering of Doh Ban Mih Song, Modeste cleverly incorporated the number four to tell of his trials and tribulations in purchasing four king fish, his abdominal issue from eating four cupcakes, his desire to win four cars in the major competitions and the police saga of looking for “king stupid,” a wanted man.

Although it was a competition, the master of ceremonies, responding to the sustained applause from the audience, called Impulse back on stage to do a “special verse.”

First-time entrant, Naparima Girl’s High School music teacher Reanna Edwards-Paul faced tremendous odds as her microphone went silent during her performance of Calypso Dead, but she continued her performance after defective equipment was replaced.

That error, however, caused her to finish in tenth place.

[caption id="attachment_1062950" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Jacqueline Taylor on parade with the Market Queen during the Queen of Band competition on February 9, at Skinner Park, San Fernando. - Grevic Alvarado[/caption]

Her original composition was critical of the exponents of the art form for remaining silent on the Paria diving tragedy in which four divers l