Gary Sakas, 65, of Haddon Heights and Ocean City, is the new Mr. Mature America.
Gary Sakas became the world's second Mr. Mature America on Saturday night.
The 65-year-old Haddon Heights resident was crowned at the conclusion of a pageant on the Ocean City Music Pier.
Half tongue-in-cheek and half sincere, the pageant celebrates the “accomplishments, talents and relevance of men 55 and over,” in the words of Ocean City’s 82-year-old public relations director, Mark Soifer, who is the mastermind of an event that started last year and was billed as the first of its kind in the world.
Perks of the new Job: selfies with former Miss New Jersey Ashley Fairfield, a judge for the contest.
Sakas owns a home on 14th Street in Ocean City, and he said a neighbor, Nancy Fox, talked him into entering the pageant.
Fox sings the runway theme for the pageant (penned by Soifer), which includes such immortal lines as, "Isn’t he a handsome geezer, certainly a people pleaser, so talented, so debonair, so completely covered by Medicare."
Sakas said he just scribbled down the "first thing that came to mind" when he completed the application for the pageant. While other contestants were introduced with such lofty credentials as the founders of March of Dimes charities, Sakas was presented as a man who loves "gardening and munching on nachos."
The first two Mr. Mature Americas: Frank Faralli Jr. and Gary Sakas.
But Sakas wowed the audience with a rendition of "Summer Wind," a Johnny Mercer song made popular by Frank Sinatra. He won the talent portion of the competition with the song.
A career salesman who still works as an independent contractor in a courier business, Sakas also won the "poise and composure" category in the pageant. He lives with his wife, Terry.
Other winners on Saturday night included:
- First runner up: Joel Fogel, 70, of Somers Point, N.J.
- Second runner up: Tom Greeley, 66, of Manchester, N.J.
- Interview: Fogel
- On-stage question: Fogel
- Congeniality: Greeley
The pageant attracted an estimated 300 to 400 people — about the same as last year, according to Soifer.
A highlight of the show was a performance by a pair of "mature" musicians and a backup band: Herb "Bubba Mac" Birch and 91-year-old former Bill Haley and the Comets drummer Dick Richards.
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Ocean City historian, author and former Ocean City Beach Patrol veteran Fred Miller was given the pageant's Inspiration Award for his contributions and achievements.
Ruth Eni, the chief executive Dietz and Watson, who recently celebrated her 90th birthday, was recognized for her contributions to Ocean City events, including the annual Doo Dah Parade. She was seen dancing in the aisles as Richards and Bubba Mac played "Shake, Rattle and Roll."
The crowning of Sakas marked the end of the reign of the inaugural Mr. Mature American, 62-year-old Cape May Court House resident Frank Faralli Jr.
Other contestants included:
- Bill Gage, 62, of Reading, Pa.
- George Ellis, 84, of Penn Valley, Pa.
- Kenneth Young, 76, of New York City
- Rene Sese, 73, of Ocean City
