New Latrobe Banana Split Princess to be picked

Piper Anke is preparing to end her one-year reign as the first Banana Split Princess for Latrobe.

Anke, a 13-year-old from Derry who has experience in public speaking, was appointed to the role in a last-minute addition to the 2018 Great American Banana Split Celebration. She’ll conclude her responsibilities Sunday , when she hands off her crown to a successor to be chosen in the festival’s inaugural princess pageant.

The competition is set for 4 p.m. in the Latrobe Elementary School cafetorium. The event is free to attend.

Anke said filling the princess role has “been a really great experience. It was a wonderful opportunity to get to know my community better and to grow,” while serving as an ambassador for the festival and for the Greater Latrobe-Laurel Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce, which oversees the event.

A dozen girls are vying for this year’s princess title, open to those age 9-11 who live in the Greater Latrobe, Derry Area or Ligonier Valley school districts.

Prior to the banana split celebration, set for Aug. 23-25 in downtown Latrobe, the new princess will begin her role by promoting the annual event — including riding in the town’s Fourth of July parade.

Isaac McDaniel, event director for the celebration, noted the associated pageant is geared toward girls in a younger age bracket than those who compete for area queen titles.

“Our (princess) selection process was internal last year,” he said. “We wanted to expand that to give more girls the opportunity to participate,” but, “We didn’t want to cross over with the Fourth of July pageant and the Westmoreland Fair.”

Georgia Teppert, assistant superintendent at Greater Latrobe School District, is chairing the princess pageant. She’s drawing upon knowledge she gained as her daughter, Arielle, 14, competed in a number of pageants and won the title of National American Miss Pennsylvania Preteen 2018-19.

The pageant adds to the banana split celebration by “pulling in families and students and giving them that sense of community and an opportunity to be a part of it,” Teppert said.

It also gives contestants valuable experience in being interviewed and speaking in public, she said.

Interviews with the judges will count for 25% of each contestant’s score, as will an introductory speech each will give on stage. Remaining portions of the score will be judged by the photogenic quality of the head shots each girl submitted and her poise in displaying a formalwear outfit to conclude the competition.

To enter, each girl completed a written application and an essay.

The pageant will begin with a group dance routine featuring all the contestants. Arielle Teppert and Piper Anke will share duties as joint masters of ceremonies and each also will demonstrate a talent — a vocal performance by Arielle and martial arts moves by Piper, a black belt in karate who plans to break a board with a kick.