GEDALIA AVILES
WESTFIELD – When women who have reached the “age of elegance” compete in Holyoke next month for the ‘Ms. Massachusetts Senior America’ title, two of the six contestants will be from Westfield.
The statewide competition is a prelude to a national pageant and the Massachusetts ‘queen’ chosen at Holyoke High School in November will travel to Atlantic City, N.J., next year to compete for the national crown.
The pageant is organized in the Bay State by Lorraine Gorham of Holyoke, the state director for the national organization, who said that this year’s pageant would be the 20th annual contest in Massachusetts. The organization has sponsored a national competition for 40 years.
Gorham said that the competition is open to all women at least 60 years old. She said that there are no other requirements but added “I always tell them a little bit of talent will help.”
One of the competitors will be Gedalia Aviles of Westfield who said that her participation “came to me by coincidence” through a family member.
Aviles said that one of her great-nieces mentioned at a family gathering that she worked with a promoter of the pageant who was bemoaning the lack of Hispanic competitors in the pageant.
Aviles said that family members encouraged her to compete so she entered the contest.
“I always dream big” she said, “It don’t cost you nothing.”
Rita Breglio, a new city resident, will also participate in the pageant.
Breglio said that she is a native of Orange and has always enjoyed singing and dancing.
She said that she has enjoyed square, round and ballroom dancing for almost 50 years and moved to the city due to of her interest in ballroom dancing.
She said she met her husband while ballroom dancing in Northampton two years ago and moved to Westfield early this year after they were married in a Las Vegas ceremony.
RITA BREGLIO
“I’ve been in minstrel shows (in the Orange area) since I was in high school” she said adding that, when she moved to this area after her marriage, she heard about a ladies group which performed at nursing homes, hospital and community events.
She said she decided she wanted to join the group but found that the ‘Cameo Girls’ group she was interested in was an organization of veterans of the Ms. Massachusetts America Senior pageants so she decided to enter the pageant so that she would qualify for the group.
The pageant includes talent component as well as an evening gown competition.
Gorham said that during the ‘Philosophy of Life’ segment of the pageant each contestant would tell the judges “what life has brought to them” as they “stroll around” in their gowns.
Aviles said “I’m making my own gown” for the pageant and said that she will honor her ancestry by dancing Flamenco as her talent offering. Gorham, who has seen rehearsals, said “She’s really exciting.”
Breglio said that she would sing and dance to showcase her talent.
Gorham said “We help them with every phase” of the pageant and Aviles said that as soon as she contacted the promoter her grand-niece had mentioned “he changed my look.” She said “The first thing he did was change my hair” as she got ready to compete.
Aviles said that she came to Westfield from Puerto Rico “very young” in 1979 and said she has worked at many jobs.
She said that she worked at Burger King when it first opened and, because she was the only Spanish speaking worker there, she was a great favorite of the Hispanic workers at the former H. B. Smith foundry which was then across the street from the restaurant.
She worked at other jobs in the city including as a bilingual teacher’s aide at Ft. Meadow School and as a school bus monitor.
Breglio said she has worked as a medical receptionist for several doctors, as a credit manager and in sales. She said one of her more interesting jobs was serving as the office manager for a chemist and inventor who had served on a science panel for the Kennedy administration.
Also competing in the pageant will be Ceil Rossi and Lola Foote, both of Agawam, Dianna McCoy of Springfield and Ruth Harcovitz of Needham.
The pageant will be at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 4, at Holyoke High School at 500 Beech Street.
Tickets will cost $12 and can be purchased in advance by contacting Gorham by e-mail at [email protected] or by calling her at 413 534 1318.
Although entry for the 2012 pageant is closed, Gorham said “We would be more than happy to take their application fro next year.”
