by Peter Currier, intern, WSU ’17
WESTFIELD – Westfield State University’s 6th annual Mr. Westfield charity pageant was held on Sunday at the university’s Dever stage. Eight contestants performed talents, showed off their outfit of choice, and answered questions so that one of them could be named Mr.
The moment Emmett Witherspoon was announced as the winner of Mr. Westfield. (submitted photo)
Westfield.
Emmett Witherspoon, a junior representing Lammers Hall, was named Mr. Westfield 2017 at the show’s conclusion. He performed Tasha Cobb’s “For Your Glory” and Mary Mary’s
Emmett Witherspoon, representing Lammers Hall, being crowned as WSU’s 2017 Mr. Westfield. (submitted photo)
“God In Me” as his talent and dressed up as a pregnant Beyoncé for his celebrity impression.
“It was totally unexpected when they called out my name,” says Witherspoon, “During the last few days preparing for the show I felt that I was getting out of place and felt unprepared when it came to preparing for both my celebrity impressions and talent.”
Before Witherspoon was revealed as the winner, it was announced that this year’s organizers and contestants had raised over $10,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Photo of WSU’s Mr. Westfield contestant Taylor Powers (taken from facebook)
For the first time in the shows history, a female was allowed to compete in what had previously been a male only competition. Sophomore Taylor Powers represented Courtney Hall alongside the seven male contestants.
“I love raising money for charity,” says Powers, “I knew that SGA [student government association] was looking for a girl, so I interviewed for the position and they ended up picking me.”
Although Powers did not win the title of Ms. Westfield, she did win Ms. Fundraiser as she had raised the most money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation at just over $1,000.
The idea of having a female take part had previously been proposed. “We have been talking for a few years about what we would do if women were interested and met the qualifications,” says Andrew Morin, President of the class of 2017, “We decided last year to allow it, but no women applied until this year.”
Not everyone had shown support for the move, as the show is marketed as a male ‘beauty pageant’ meant to parody the stereotypical female beauty pageants such as Miss America.
Andrew Morin announcing that contestants had raised over $10,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. (submitted photo)
“I get questioned almost daily as to how I’m in Mr. Westfield and why I was allowed to participate,” says Powers. Despite this she says she also received overwhelming support from her peers and fellow contestants.
The winner of Mr. Westfield 2016, Brandon Trafford believes allowing women to compete will boost the popularity of the show going forward.
“It will allow for more diverse contestants,” says Trafford, “Talented people could participate when they previously couldn’t due to their gender.”
The school administration and members of SGA are trying to figure out what to do with the event’s name if they continue allowing women to compete. “We have raised the possibility of renaming it from Mr. Westfield,” says Morin, although he is unable to say what the current proposals are.
Six other participants competed alongside Ms. Powers and Mr. Witherspoon representing various residential halls and class years. They were Ben Cavaliere, Devin Bates, Marcus DiBacco, Micah Pellegrini, Andrew Manchino, and Daniel Gavin.
Two other awards were given out. The contestants voted amongst themselves for Mr. Congeniality, which was given to Ben Cavaliere,and the audience choseAndrew Manchino as Mr. Fan-Favorite.
Mr. Westfield has been fundraising for the Make-A-Wish Foundation since the pageant’s inception in 2011. It has raised $38,200 in the previous five years,and this year, event organizers sought to raise at least $7,500, which would be enough to grant one wish for a child with a life threatening illness.
