Men showcase talents, knowledge during Mr. Hmong Royalty Pageant

WAUSAU – Bright colors, sashes, traditional clothing and music filled the Eastbay Sports Complex Saturday while six men competed in the Hmong Wausau Festival’s Mr. Hmong Royalty Pageant.

Tha Ying Xiong, the pageant coordinator, said this is the pageant’s first year. He said there are several pageant opportunities for women, so the Mr. Hmong Royalty Pageant is a way for men to show their talents and knowledge.

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“The goal of the pageant is to build confidence and promote higher education,” Xiong said. “In the Hmong community alone, Hmong men never really go to college. (They) either enter the workforce or to the army to serve our country.”

Contestants must be between the ages of 17 and 27 to participate in the pageant. The men started preparing in December for the two-day pageant event. On Saturday, each man introduced himself, then talked about a problem in the Hmong community and how he can solve it. Sunday’s portion focuses on talents and a question-and-answer phase.

One man will be crowned Mr. Hmong Royalty and earn $1,500, a crown and sash. A second-place contestant will receive $1,000 and a sash, and a third-place contestant will receive $500 and a sash.

The top three contestants will be required to complete a full term as a committee member of the Royal Court. They will meet with the pageant coordinator, deputy coordinator and two advisers at least once every other month. Mr. Hmong Royalty will be required to volunteer 150 hours in the community within the next year to benefit Wausau. The second-place finisher must volunteer 100 hours, and third place must volunteer 50 hours in Wausau.

Other awards include Mr. Congeniality, Mr. Photogenic, Mr. Popularity and Best Talent.

For more information, find Hmong Wausau Festival on Facebook.

Contact reporter Caitlin Shuda: 715-424-7307 orcshuda@gannett.com; on Twitter @CaitlinShuda