The Age of Elegance

Me and my dog "Bodacious Bogart" (Bichon), on our porch, after a NEW JERSEY CAMEO CLUB show. Soon after winning the title of MS NEW JERSEY SENIOR AMERICA 2011, Desiree was a guest on the Pinky Kravitz radio show. She is chaperoned by MSNJSA STATE PAGEANT DIRECTOR, Johanne Santori. At a 4th of July parade, Desiree stands proudly with Vietnam War veterans. Parades are always fun. Here, Desiree and last year's Queen, Rebecca Orsatti, ride in an antique car, on the boardwalk in Atlantic City. Her winning smile wins over a crowd of approving fans. The NEW JERSEY CAMEO CLUB gave a show at Kennedy Mall on the boardwalk in Atlantic City in August. Desiree delivered a great performance that evening. At a recent show, Desiree removed her crown and banner to honor wounded Veteran's and to observe the 10th Anniversary of the World Trade Center Bombing. She sang, " Proud To be An American". Many warm thoughts are being sent to you, dear Desiree, as you prepare for the ...

The summer of 2011 was as hot as it was busy for the ladies of the NEW JERSEY CAMEO CLUB. To paraphrase the motto from the US Postal Service, neither the excessive heat and humidity, nor the abundance of rainfall and other natural disasters, deterred our elegant ladies from "performing their expected rounds". The following is a recap of some of their summer activities. The ladies of the NEW JERSEY CAMEO CLUB worked together with the MS NEW JERSEY SENIOR AMERICA PAGEANT organization, and helped State Director Johanne Santori to make the 2011 pageant a success. At the July meeting, they prepared a special luncheon and bought a cake to honor the new queen, Desiree Nigrelli. There were many NEW JERSEY CAMEO CLUB SHOWCASES during the 3 month period, and our great ladies gave dazzling performances for a variety of age-related audiences. The shows gave people the chance to meet and hear the current Queen, and to wish her well as she prepares for the National Pageant. The son...

The gracious women who make up the NEW JERSEY CAMEO CLUB lead busy and productive lives in their own communities, and, each in her own way, exemplifies the philosophy of the MS NEW JERSEY SENIOR AMERICA PAGEANT: which is, "to promote the positive aspects of aging". At the July meeting, they participated in an informal survey to discover what life is like once they had reached the "age of elegance", or, 60 years and over. The results are in, and can be summed up in the following categories: (1) have fun; (2) strive to touch someone every day; (3) continue to make your voice heard. Forty women participated, and although it is not possible to mention each one by name, the survey did show that most of the ladies are involved in these 3 aforementioned categories. HAVING FUN! This can be anything from: doing puzzles, reading, writing poetry, traveling, equestrian riding, going to sports events; keeping fit by playing golf, running, water aerobics, kayaking, ...

Members of the MS NEW JERSEY SENIOR AMERICA PAGEANT organization have been eagerly awaiting coverage of the 2011 pageant on the Style Network. Last night it aired on the popular reality show, "JERSEYLICIOUS". Since true reality is not that interesting, the producers of the show created a story line, a rivalry between 2 beauty consultants, Tracy and Olivia. Tracy's grandmother, Catherine Schroeder, had entered the MS NEW JERSEY SENIOR AMERICA PAGEANT 2011, and Tracy was determined to help her out to be the best that she could be. She presented the idea of doing hair and makeup for all 13 contestants to Gayle, the owner of the Gatsby beauty salon. Her idea was accepted and a crew of hair and makeup specialists were assigned to the pageant. Now, fast forward to June 2nd, the day of the pageant, and the scene is the contestants' dressing room at Harrah's in Atlantic City. After the crew meets the ladies, Olivia becomes partial to one contestant, Patricia Genoves...

The NEW JERSEY CAMEO CLUB held its quarterly meeting at the America Legion Post 166, in Lakewood, yesterday. The July meeting is always a special time, because the members get to meet and greet their new queen and the CLASS of 2011. Members were treated to a tasty luncheon buffet of fried chicken, several salads, Jo Ann Gordon's (MSNJSA 2008) famous vanilla brownies, and a huge sheet cake, with the words, WELCOME TO THE CLASS OF 2011 on it. Unfortunately, Desiree Nigrelli, MS NJSA 2011 was unable to attend, due to the unexpected passing of a family friend, and the funeral was at the same time. It seemed that yesterday turned out to be a surreal day for Desiree ..... a day that started out with sadness, then, later on, turned into a happy time. She was invited by Mayor Langford and the members of the Atlantic City Town Council to appear at City Hall at 5:00 pm, to receive a Proclamation of Achievement, for winning the title of MS NEW JERSEY SENIOR AMERICA 2011. Congratulations! Mean...

Rebecca Orsatti, MS NEW JERSEY SENIOR AMERICA 2010, won 1st place prize. She impressed the judges in many ways. One in particular, was the rhythmic complexity of her song, "Don't Rain On My Parade". They praised her for her looks, and showmanship, noting from Rebecca's biography, that she was truly born to sing. Sherri McGhie, won 2nd place prize. She aroused the judges and audience with her salty rendition of the country favorite, " Harper Valley PTA". She told the naughty tale with witt and humor, and possessed a rich earthy vocal tone which was noted by the judges. Sunday June 26th, was a proud day for the MS NEW JERSEY SENIOR AMERICA PAGEANT organization, when, 4 fabulous former Queens plus our very own Sherri McGhie, took center stage. Generous words of praise abounded from the lips of the 3 judges. Each elegant lady gave powerful, distinctive, and impressive performances, making it impossible for them to find anything to be critical about. Josephine ...

4 MS NEW JERSEY SENIOR AMERICA QUEENS + SHERRI MCGHIE PARTICIPATE IN 3RD ANNUAL SHORE SENIOR IDOL CONTEST Now that pageant fever has calmed down, another exciting event is soon approaching, the 3rd Annual Shore Senior Idol Contest. Four MS NEW JERSEY SENIOR AMERICA QUEENS + SHERRI MCGHIE made the finals, and will join with 13 other contestants, at the Algonquin Arts Theater in Manasquan, on Sunday, June 26th at 3:00 pm. Besides Sherri McGhie, the Queens are: Johanne Santori, MSNJSA 2006, and MS NEW JERSEY SENIOR AMERICA STATE PAGEANT DIRECTOR; Josephine Araniti, MSNJSA 2007; JoAnn Gordon, MSNJSA 2008; and Rebecca Orsatti, MSNJSA 2010. The contestants met at the Algonquin Theater for the first time on Thursday, June 16th. Director Gina Lupi, gave a brief welcome and orientation speech, and rehearsed the opening number with the group. Afterwards, everyone got the chance to go over their solos with the sound crew. There was a feeling of excitement and anticipation in auditorium that day. ...