Carter named best ‘woman’
Published 7:54 pm Monday, March 23, 2015
Brandon Carter — better known on Saturday as Mamie O Graham — was shocked to learn that he did the best job impersonating a woman at the annual Womanless Beauty Pageant.
“It was kind of a shock,” he said after being crowned Miss Relay 2015. “It was a good event to do. It raised money, and it was a lot of fun.”
Brandon Carter was the winner of the Nansemond River Pilot Club’s 15th annual Womanless Beauty Pageant. He was inspired to participate in the event because it raises money for cancer education and research, and his sister died of cancer in December.
Carter’s sister, Tricia Baines, died in December after battling cancer since 2011. He said his performance — which included a painting talent that merged into a superhero skit with the theme of fighting cancer — was in memory of his sister.
Joe Shannon, who wowed the crowd singing Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” as “Joleen Makit Rayne,” also said his sister was responsible for his performance, but in a different way. She convinced him to sign up, but he wasn’t sure how he felt about it until he arrived.
“When I got here, I was nervous, but now I’m proud to be a part of it,” he said after the performance was over. Seeing the luminary ceremony, where loved ones of those in attendance who have battled cancer were honored and memorialized, made him realize the cause behind all the fun, he said.
The event is a Relay For Life fundraiser sponsored by the Nansemond River Pilot Club. Money was raised through ticket sales, silent auction items and money placed in contestants’ buckets to vote for the People’s Choice Award, an honor Carter also took home, along with his crown and sash.
The seven competitors included Carter and Shannon, along with Joe Natoli, Ottis Bishop, Russell Edwards, Mike Durant and Zach Cahalan.
Shannon took home the Best Interview Award. Other awards given were Best Talent, to Russell Edwards (“Lafawnda”); Best Casual Wear to Mike Durant (“Ida Bomb”); Best Looking to Zach Cahalan (“Ah Bendover”); Most Original to Ottis Bishop (“Ima Man”); and Miss Congeniality to Joe Natoli (“Barbielicious Chang”).
“Everything went great,” said the Pilot Club’s Becky Adams. She did not yet know how much money was collected but said it was “probably one of our best years yet.”
“We still have money coming in,” she said. “I had several people say it was the best year they’ve been to. We had a lot of people say they liked the venue.”
The new venue this year, Liberty Baptist Church on Romans Road, agreed to host the event at the last minute after the club learned renovations at its longtime venue, the Suffolk National Guard Armory, were not complete.
Adams said 423 tickets were sold. The silent auction alone brought in about $3,000, she added.
“Thank you to our sponsors,” Adams said. “We hope next year is just as successful as this one.”
More photos from the event can be found on the Suffolk News-Herald’s Facebook page.
