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Throwback: Tsawwassen's beauty queen

More than 400 people packed the mall to watch the event
tsawwassen-beauty-queen-1972
Tsawwassen’s first beauty queen, Jay Olson, poses for a picture following a contest at the Delta Fair Shopping Centre in 1972.

Let’s head back to August 1972 when Tsawwassen crowned its first beauty queen.

Making history, 17-year-old Jay Olsen, Miss Delta Datsun, won the title of Miss Tsawwassen over five other contestants in the first annual Tsawwassen Sun Festival pageant, sponsored by the Tsawwassen Business Association.

More than 400 people packed the inner mall at the Delta Fair Shopping Centre for the beauty pageant, one of several events in the three-day festival.

A story on the event reported that the girls, who wore hot pant suits, were judged for charm, poise, personality, figure, deportment and facial features.

The first runner-up was Frances Davidson, Miss Tsawwassen Town Centre, who would act as princess. Sheila Guichon, Miss Pillars Inn, was second runner-up and would also act as princess for 1972-73.

Olson received a host of prizes donated by the business association.

The festival is still held every August but the pageant is long gone.