Ten contestants strutted their stuff while wearing heels in the second annual Dude Looks Like a Lady pageant, raising money to help seriously ill people in the community who have trouble affording medical transportation, medication and equipment.
Once again, contestants were asked to raise $250 but surpassed that goal; top fundraiser Kumona Wana-Laya (Ron Lemiski) brought in $2,600.
The total raised by the contestants was $8,695 and added to the ticket sales and calendar sales came to just over $22,000 for Kimmunity Angels Society.
“The guys were a blast right from the very first meeting and the support from our community is amazing. Blessed to live in a community that cares so deeply for one another,” said Donna Slavik, pageant organizer and Kimmunity Angels Society founder.
Contestants competed in three categories: evening gowns, the talent portion and in swimsuits to the roaring laughter of the nearly sold-out REM Lee Theatre.
This year’s judges had the enviable task of choosing the winner and were treated to closeups of various contestants who made a point of strutting over to the judge’s table and putting a leg up on the table or just showing off their assets.
The judges were last year’s emcee Steve Little, Janine Wilson, last year’s contestant John Dafoe (Ms. Sylva Fox) and Luna Saffron, Terrace’s own drag queen.
Last year’s winner, Ivona Shagwell (Chapen Leblond) passed the tiara to Dixie Normous (Ryan Sergerie), who jumped up and down for several minutes when named the winner.
This year’s Miss Congeniality was Butterfly Kiss (Matthew Daratha).
Rick McDaniel emceed this year, following up on being last year’s highest fundraiser as contestant Ursula “The Red Baroness” Von Strappe, and also the bearded lady.
This year, McDaniel found himself being serenaded by Miss Understood (Parrish Miller) to the tune of Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares To You during the talent contest.
Dixie Normous (Sergerie) did a quick rap for talent, then spent the rest of the time letting the audience know more about Kimmunity Angels Society, in particular that the society didn’t wait for people to come ask for help but actively went out into the community to find people who needed assistance with their medical costs.
The pageant win follows up on Sergerie’s stint as a temporary Captain Obvious in a Hotels.com commercial – he kept the beard and wore a captain’s hat in the talent portion of the pageant.
