By Chuck Gregory, Editor, Tribune(VP, Marketing, Pageant) LenKaplanstoletheshow(withwhat

uscityfolkconsidereverydayactivities)byplayinghiskazooandbeingaverbal

Top:OntheporchofthehomequartersonNantucketIslandareSharonMaloney,AnnetteGamacheandCharlotte Ambrose. On stage after the showingtare:MsMaloney,CarolTuohy,LenKaplan&JoshAlexanderatthemicrophone.

Chuck GregoryPhoto by

Constance Gabriel

Queen Dorothy Soczek andcommittee members BarbaraParenteandYvetteManciniwerequite regal at the film festival

DaffyDuck,1940,moviebythesamename

The T R I B U N eSoUThcoaST

2 0 Ye a r s o f C o m m u n i t y N e w s F r o m P e o p l e F r o m t h e C o m m u n i t y

Ms Senior Sweethearts Take A Trip To “Their Movie” in Nantucket, 8

The SoUThcoaSTTRIBUNe

Founded In 1993 asChuck Gregory Group, LTD.

• Charles F. Gregory, PublisherDirect: 508-493-2883 (no fax)www.Southcoasttribune.com

18 Purchase St. Fall River, MA 02720P. O. Box 2004, Fall River, MA 02722

e-Mail: Chucktribune@aol.comHonorariums:

Colleen Murray Hackett, Vice PresidentThomas Quinn, Clerk

“You Ought To Be In Pictures!”

The Ms Senior Sweetheart Pageant of America Inc.,/International’s Planning Committee and Board Members took atriptoNantucketattheirownexpenserecently.Theoccasionwastowatchadocumentarybasedonthem,yes,themandtheMsSeniorSweetheartPageant. Based in Fall River for its entire 34 years, Leonard Kaplan,founderoftheconceptandlater thepageantitselfhasreachedagoal.Hehasalwayswantedthepageanttobesomething“Special.”What that ‘is’ is based on his own definition of “Special” because manypeoplethinkitalreadyis. Well,WalterMattesenandhisNewYorkproductioncompany(viaCopenhagen) traveledwith thepageantaround thisarea fortwoyearsstartingin2008.Theyvisitedmanycurrentandpreviouscontestants&Queensattheirhomesandworkplaces. Theresultingdocumentary isaworkofart.ManycontestantstraveledafewmonthsagototheSantaBarbaraFilmFestivalinCalifornia, again, at their own expense. The first run was not only soldoutatmostvenues,itdrewnationalattentionwithaFirstPlacewin.TheExecutiveProducerofthedocumentaryisSarahJessicaParker and other film directors. The film, however, won on its own merits. “PrettyOld”wasacclaimedwithabaptisminthebibleofstardom,The Hollywood Reporter.Newstravelsfast.SodoesTwitterandFacebook. Beforelonginquirieswerecominginfromeverywhere,and,muchtoeveryone’ssurprisefromthehallowedNantucket Film Festival.Although about fifty miles east of the Southcoast (including 14 milesofocean)theislandisamillionmilesawayfromreality. The documentary was shown twice, once on Saturday andagain on Sunday. The site was the historic First CongregationalChurch. The church is in the film-festival-gig full steam with a theatre complex building-attached to the church building. Praise theLordinHDandCinemascope.If thebuildingisarectoryitis like no other. It has a 20-foot projection screen, superb sound system,comfortablemovieseatswitharmrests,a30%inclinewithpopcornandgoodieslikeMasonDots,GoobersandSkyBars.WehearthatGodreallylikestosnackoutatthemovies. The main entrée was the film. The audience was overwhelmed by the work, cheering as each pageant person who was in theaudienceshoweduponthescreen.Pleaseunderstand,thepageantfolks didn’t know a sole in the audience before the film ran. They haveawholenewworldoffamilymembersnow. Besides contestants Charlotte Ambrose, Ida White, TamaraThatcherSwihart,PhyllisChickettand(thelate)FrancesChristianwho were highlighted, the celluloid ego booster featured manyotherpeople.JerryGamacheandWayneLimawerenotedfortheirattireandhardwork,aswasMarkHarrison.Alloftheplanningcommitteegotfacetime.Theproducersmadesureeveryonegotrecognizedfortheireffortsfairly.

artist asanemcee.Hischaracterbeingwhat it is,cametotheforeduringinterviewsandcommitteefunctions. Las Vegas lost Mr. Kaplan as a iconbecause Fall River had first choice. If Kaplan was a mimehewouldstillbeconsiderednoisy. A personal note - Low Price (as he is known), you, thepageantstaffitselfandthe100’sofotherpeopleinvolved in three decades of this project always were special.ThisdocumentarylaidbarethefactthattheMsSeniorSweetheartPageantwasabigdealalongtime ago. “Pretty Old” just let the rest of the world in onoursecret. Concerning any further successes, just have their peoplecallourpeople,avolunteerwillanswerourphone.Maybeyou’llhavetoleaveamessage.She’llgetbacktoyouassoonassheisdoneworkingoutattheYMCAorteachingdanceclassesororganizingpageantmealsortryingtocomeupwithanewprayerforMondaymorning’spageantagendawitheggsandcoffeeintheWestportHamptonInnmeetingroom,#110.Thelady,YvetteMancini,willbe96yearsoldsoon. Since the pageant was formed in 1978 to benefit a fraternalfundraisingeffort,agroupofpeopleeachpossessingspecialtalentsanddesirescombinedwithawilltoworkforthegoodofall,havemaintainedthe highest level of efficiency, proficiency and crowd pleasing, affordable fun to this day. This pageantisquitepossibly thebestof itskind in theworld.Why? Each volunteer, no matter what age, has aprofessional,outstandingresumethathasbeenbuiltfromtoilintheworkplaceandathome.Theresultofthevolunteer’spast,presentandcontinuedeffortshasfor33yearsalwaysendedupwiththegreatestladies in theworldwalkingacrossa stage inFallRiver. Wewelcometheworldtoourstage.Uspageantfolk know that this is a darn good group witha special mission. The Committee’s and Boardmember’sfaceschangeovertheyears,peoplecomeand go, but their collective determination doesn’talter,ever. We’ve heard it all before, most people aroundthese parts know that the Ms Senior SweetheartPageant’s unsinkable reputation for class andintegrityis,well,quitesimply,it’s“PrettyOld.”

Hanging out at thebeach are: L-R: Marty Tuohy, SharonMaloney,CarolTuohy,IdaWhite(rear),DianeKeaton, ConstanceGabriel, CharlotteAmbrose and PhyllisChickett. The SeniorSweetheartshadagreattimewithMsKeaton,an internationallyacclaimedactress.

Left:Withthechampagneof

bottledcheersandimitationchocolate

Krackleare:HeatherLeBeouf,WalterMattesen,Yvette

Mancini,LenKaplanandBeverlyKaplanoutontheporchonDarling

StreetinNantucket.

Above: On Nantucket even the trash barrels on Main

Street have culture.

Walter Matteson went to Nantucket and caught an

imaginary fish thi-i-i-is big.

Riding as Co-Pilot for the flight to NantucketonCapeAirwaspageant

committeememberAndreaBarronofAttleboro,MA.

For MoreNantucket Film Festival Photos

Visit Senior Queen

‘Constance Gabriel’ onFacebook

ACK

ACK

PhotosonthesepagesweretakenbyChuckGregoryand

HeatherLeBeouf,withAndreaBarronandConstanceGabriel,

ascontributors.

The TRIBUNE

Left:LenKaplanonstageata pageant final.

Right: at a fish shop: Josh Alexander,TrishGovoni;Rear:WalterMatteson,

ConnieGabriel,CharlottleAmbrose,IdaWhite,CarolTuohyandSharonMaloney.

SoUThcoaST

20 Years of Community News By People From The Community • July, 2012 • Complimentary

Diane Keaton & Connie Gabriel

Len Kaplan

AnnetteGamache,ChuckGregoryandHeather LeBeouf goofing around.

WelcomingCommiiteemanWayneLimapauseson theporchafter averyexcitingdayatthetheatre.

Photo, right, Front: BarbaraParente;Rear:CharlotteAmbrose,ChuckGregory,AnnetteGamache,WalterMattessonand2012QueenDorothySoczek.Right: Phyliss Chickett, DorothySoczek, Barbara Parente, YvetteMancini, Len Kaplan, CharlotteAmbrose and Carol Tuohy; Rear:Sharon Maloney, 2011 QueenConstanceGabrielandIdaWhite.

2012

Above: Marty Tuohy, the 2nd best looking person in a dress at the pageant’s Men’s Night Out. Who is first? Everybody else!

Above: Taking flight are, front row, Andrea Barron,Barbara Parente, DottieSoczek, Wayne Lima,YvetteManciniandBeverlyKaplan; Rear: Susan andAlanKaplan,thepilotandLenKaplan.

QueenConstanceGabrielandLenKaplan,PresidentandFounderofthepageant.

Ida White

Left: Manyof the cast andp r o d u c t i o nfolks are onthe stage at theintimate settingat the FirstCongregationalChurch inNantucket. Above: LenKaplan in asolemnmomentonstage.

www.prettyoldtrailer.com

TRIBUNE®2012