Emcee Maribeth Neall and contestant Frank Faralli rehearse for the Mr. Mature America Pageant on the Ocean City Music Pier.
From the home of the Little Miss Ocean City, Junior Miss Ocean City, Miss Ocean City and Miss New Jersey pageants comes a different sort of “beauty” pageant: Mr. Mature America.
“The Pageant honors the accomplishments, talents and relevance of men 60 and over,” says Mark Soifer, event founder as the city’s public relations director. “It is the only event of its kind in the United States.”
Pageant and contestants have been rehearsing since Sunday for the inaugural pageant on Saturday, March 22.
Maribeth Neall and Dick Sheeran, a former Philadelphia television news anchor, will emcee the event. Sheeran also will present the pageant’s first Inspiration Award to Atlantic City icon Pinky Kravitz for his many achievements in radio and public service.
WHERE: Ocean City Music Pier (on the Ocean City Boardwalk at Moorlyn Terrace (between Eighth and Ninth streets).
WHEN: The pageant begins 7 p.m. Saturday, March 22. The Bubba Mac Blues Band will play from 6:30 p.m. till pageant time.
WHO: The pageant will feature six contestants.
- Frank Faralli will sing “Edelweiss.”
- Captain Joel Fogel will fly in from Hawaii to perform on piano.
- Eugene Ross will recite a poem and sing an original song.
- Jerome Lukas will draw an original cartoon in three minutes.
- Rene Sese, of Ocean City and the Philippines, will sing a love song.
- Former Ocean City Mayor Roy Gillian will play a medley of popular tunes on the piano.
THE COMPETITION: Contestants will compete in talent, dance, poise and answer an onstage question at the end of the pageant about what it was like growing up in their particular era. They will also be interviewed by the judges prior to the contest.
WHAT ELSE: Blues band leader Bubba Mac will play the guitar and sing, but he will not compete in the pageant. Five mature women will also be featured.
- Betty Lambert, an 81-year-old baton twirler from Harmony, Pa., will performs splits.
- Peggy King, legendary big band singer and TV and movie actress who has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, will do a jazz number.
- Ocean City soprano Nancy Fox will sing the runway song.
- Ms. New Jersey Senior America Vanessa Shaw, a Broadway vocalist, will perform.
- Mama Dietz, Ruth Eni, owner and spokesperson of Dietz and Watson, a major Ocean City events sponsor, also will be honored.
The program will open with the singing of the National Anthem by Miss Ocean City Carley Del Sordo. This will be followed by a rousing production number featuring all contestants choreographed by Jessica Albertson.
TICKETS: Tickets are $10 and will be available at the door. They also will be available at the Community Services Office on the second floor of City Hall (Ninth Street and Asbury Avenue) 8:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and at the main desk of the Ocean City Aquatics and Fitness Center (17th Street and Simpson Avenue) through 6 p.m. Saturday.
PARKING: Free parking is available in surface lots on the boardwalk block of Eighth Street, Moorlyn Terrace and Ninth Street.
BENEFICIARIES: All proceeds will benefit the Ocean City Ecumenical Council Food Cupboard and Philippine Recovery Programs.
INFORMATION: Call (609) 525-9300 after hours and on Saturday (609) 364-4010.
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