Tonight, on a stage in Atlantic City, N.J., one woman will be crowned. She will have earned that honor through competition in evening gown, talent and interview events, having already been named to represent her state.
If it sounds a lot like the Miss America Pageant, it's not coincidence. But this annual event is for women who have reached "the age of elegance" -- 60 or older.
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"Senior America pageants motivate seniors to lead active, productive lives and provide the opportunity for them to use their wisdom and talents to enrich the lives of others," said pageant founder Al Mott. "The Ms. Senior America philosophy is based on the belief that seniors are the foundation of America and our most valuable treasure."
Sherry Marshall of Uniontown, about 25 miles north and west of Fort Smith in Crawford County, is Ms. Arkansas Senior American 2017.
"As a fifth generation Arkansan, I am very proud of our state, and I would like to help bring awareness to the contribution our seniors have made to society," the 64-year-old said. She also has a personal philosophy of life to share: "Be kind and help everyone you can. And some words of wisdom my dad gave me: If you have a problem, ask yourself the question, 'Is there anything I can do about it?' If the answer is yes, do it. If the answer is no, shut up, stop complaining and put your faith in God.
"When Dad told me that, it made me angry," Marshall remembers. "But I thought about what he said, and he's exactly right. It's saved me a lot of heartache and headaches over the years."
Marshall was not a pageant girl -- or pageant adult. She grew up on the same family farm where she now lives and described herself as an "avid outdoor person" who hunts and fishes, and "when not in the great outdoors I enjoy yoga, weight training, singing and dancing. I believe a healthy diet and physical exercise are a must for a long and happy life." She's worked in a variety of jobs, she said, from relief postmaster to substitute teacher to fitness trainer and activities director in a retirement center. "I also catch wild donkeys and relocate them," she added.
Marshall said a voice in her head and heart told her to enter the Ms. Senior Arkansas Pageant in 2014 -- to raise awareness, she believes, of the "epidemic of unreasonably alienated" grandparents in the world. She didn't win, but since then, she's been lobbying legislators for changes in the laws governing grandparents' visitation with grandchildren after a divorce or separation. "I want to shine light on this. If this was a flu epidemic or some kind of Ebola, the world would know about it. But this is epidemic worldwide." She was asked about the topic at the 2017 Ms. Senior Arkansas Pageant and hopes that will happen again in Atlantic City.
As Ms. Senior Arkansas, Marshall has been traveling the state since she was crowned in June, "meeting other seniors and the younger generations, because it's the foundation seniors have laid that younger generations can build upon." She would continue that work as Ms. Senior America from a base at her home in Arkansas.
Interviewed Friday, just before she left for Atlantic City on Sunday, Marshall wanted to encourage ladies 60 and older to compete next year.
"You don't have to spend a lot of money to enter the pageant," she said. "Beg, borrow or wear what you have. The evening gown I wore cost $60 and won the evening gown competition among 12 contestants at the Alma Performing Arts Center. Such accomplished women! I felt so honored to have been chosen."
NAN Our Town on 10/19/2017