Most pageant contestants have to put on a swimsuit and a gown and walk a runway to be crowned the winner.
For the Ms. Senior Homemaker pageant held at Shawano Lake County Park on Thursday, six contestants had to fold laundry, bake desserts, answer telemarketing calls and more in order to be crowned the fairest elder in the land.
The crown went to Donna Delzer, a 76-year-old Cecil resident. She noted that she was the mother of five children and “one husband of 56 years.” Delzer also has 20 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Delzer noted that she used to be a good singer, but that her voice aged with the rest of her, and she had to eventually give it up. She also enjoys baking, crafting and landscaping — the latter being part of her talent, which was making floral arrangements.
Delzer’s family also grows pumpkins. She noted that October is a particularly busy time for her as school groups visit the farm to pick pumpkins during the week, and the general public comes out for the weekends.
“We get thousands of people,” Delzer said. “We set up a corn maze and a haunted house. We made a train out of barrels. I am in charge of most of the decorating around the year.”
Farming is in Delzer’s blood, as her parents also had a farm, and she remembered growing up with “every wild animal imaginable.” She recalled finding a nest of skunks once and her mother referring to them as Binky, Winky and Stinky.
Delzer held up a mink stole her mother had made and noted how much she loved her animals.
“We all had to work hard, but we had a lot of good memories,” Delzer said.
Delzer is also heavily involved with her church. She said during her interview that she received a call prior to coming to the contest asking for her help in crafting the church’s Independence Day float.
To win the contest, Delzer had to compete in an initial interview, bake a dessert for the event, answer a Miss America-style question and compete in a multi-tasking contest that required folding laundry, washing dishes, soothing a crying baby and answering a telemarketing call within a 3-minute period.
Irma Timmons-Arndt, the 2014 Ms. Senior Homemaker, described her time as the area’s senior representative as a wonderful experience.
“I rode in the back of a convertible. Have you ever done that?” Timmons-Arndt asked the mostly senior audience members. “I don’t mean the back seat; I mean the back. I had on a hunting jacket and 11 layers of clothes.”
The pageant is put on by MeadowView Assisted Living of Bonduel, Hospice Advantage and ARC Angels Home Care. This is the fourth year the pageant has been held.
