New Jersey Senior America Pageant in Atlantic City brings an experience like no other
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (CBS) — Eight women competed Thursday in the annual Ms. New Jersey Senior America Pageant in Atlantic City.
The pageant's only qualification is that contestants must be at least 60 years old to compete.
Johanne Santori and Terry Meade are the pageant's organizers.
"There's a lot of good ladies after 60 years old," Santori said. "We're still very very strong."
Meade added: "The stage is magical; the set is magical, and we give these ladies an experience like no other."
Ferlie Almonte is last year's reigning champion.
"It's been an exhilarating experience," Almonte said. "It's so magical."
Whoever wins the title of Ms. New Jersey Senior America goes on to the national Ms. Senior America competition, but no matter where they place, the women will forever be part of a sisterhood.
"It helps the ladies to really get something better for their life," Santori said. "They don't have to be sitting down all the time, and they're really having such a great time the whole year."
While the spotlight will be on this year's winner, perhaps the women getting the most out of this competition are Santori and Meade.
"Both of us lost our husbands of many, many years recently," Made said. "Without these ladies who are now my sisters, I've been doing this for 10 years, I would've crumbled. They were by my side the whole time."
Santori added: "They're supporting us, and it's helping out a whole lot."
Lenore Cibelli-Lambert, a retired teacher from Sayreville, New Jersey, won the pageant and will compete at national.