Senior Sweethearts step up the competition
After seeing these ladies sing and dance, it's tough to think of them as senior citizens.
Swaying across the stage in heels and sequined dresses, others in tuxedos, cut-off jeans, red friged skirts, lacy wraps and shimmering make-up, the contestants of the Ms. Senior Sweetheart Pageant are ages 58 to 85.
On Wedensday, they performed in a talent competition at the Zeiterion Theatre, a prelude to the pageant finals on Sunday, which will be held at 1:15 p.m. at B.M.C. Durfee High School's Nagle Auditorium.
The competition began with a dance number by the pageant's first crowned queen, Anita Rapoza, who won the title in 1978 and is now age 92.
After that first pageant, a fundraiser for the Lion's Club, Rapoza told pageant founder and president Lenny "Low Price" Kaplan: "I think you should do this more often."
He took her advice, and this year is the 29th annual pageant.
Kaplan said he used to call the pageant his "little old lady show. I don't call it my little old lady show anymore," he said. "I'm older than many of them."
The pageant, which went international three years ago, hosts women locally and from all over the country, and this year, three from overseas: Singapore, Cayman Islands, and Philippines.
"Today, we have (23) lovely ladies who will attempt to entertain you," Kaplan told the audience.
Carolyn Beach, 66, of South Carolina, performed a "shag dance," with "Ralph," a dummy she used for her prop. She said it was a popular dance back home, where she is treasurer of the OD Shag Club.
Constance Gabriel, 65, of Minnesota, sang "You Know How I Feel," dressed in a white sequined dress with a red and purple flower pattern and a purple wrap. The great-grandmother and a community pharmacist in the 42nd year of her career lives on a small farm.
The women's talents ranged from tap dance to poetry and beyond, and their costumes were just as varied.
Amy Tucker, 63, of Florida, sang "Cradle to the Grave" dressed as a country bumpkin, including jean overalls and a straw hat with a sunflower in it.
Then there was Jewell Smalldon, 77, of the Cayman Islands, who did a hula dance in a blue flowered skirt, and Mary Arceneaux-Wyche of Texas, who performed a gospel dressed in a green velvet robe trimmed in gold.
"I appreciate you coming in and gracing our city," New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang told the contestants. "The pageant continues to grow."
Lang's executive assistant told the women he was "heartened" to see them performing at their various ages. He added: "Ladies, you're hot."
Tickets to the pageant on Sunday are $10 and are available at any BankFive location, Snack Food Heaven at 45 Tenth St., Giga Bite Grille, 60 N. Main St., or by calling Kaplan at 508-675-0249.
Pageant contestants are as follows: Carolyn Beach, Little River, S.C.; Ruth Berkel, Sarasota, Fla.; Marie Briere, Fall River; Frances Christian, Houston, Texas; Donna Donlin, St. Paul, Minn.; Elizabeth Fell, Dothan, Ala.; Constance Gabriel, Rogers, Minn.; Ruth Gibson, Winter Garden, Fla.; Divina A. Jacome, Makati City, Phillippines; Sharon Maloney, Dryden, Mich.; Mary Lee Pompeii, South Attleboro; Evelyn Quek, Singapore; Brenda Sexton, Danville, Ky.; Lynette Schlager, Pahrump, Nev.; Jeanne Schutte, Warren, Mich.; Jewell Smalldon, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; Carolyn Sweet Smiley, Providence; Tamara Swiheart, Jackson, Mich.; Carol Tuohy, St. Thomas, Vir.; Ann Tucker, Jacksonville, Fla.; Jean Westrom, Skanie, Mich.; Ida White, St. Thomas, Va.; Mary Arceneaux Wyche, Baytown, Texas.
E-mail Deborah Allard at dallard@heraldnews.com.