Roseboro Elementary School will be filled with laughter and fun Saturday for an unusual beauty contest.
The inaugural Womanless Beauty Pageant is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 16, at RES, 180 Butler Island Road, Roseboro. Doors open at 5 p.m. Its purpose of the event is to raise money for the school’s PTO. Admission is $5 per person. Children under school age are free.
Hot dogs and other concessions will be sold from 5 to 6 p.m. The “High Heel” special for $5 will include two hot dogs, chips and a treat.
“The PTO is sponsoring this event as a fundraiser in order to provide materials and supplies for the students and teachers at RES,” said PTO Treasurer Willa Warren. “Our PTO is always interested in helping to ensure that our students have the resources for our students to be successful.”
Organizer Lisa Hudson, RES data manager, said the event allows families and community members to have a good time and fellowship together. In the process, attendees will raise money for the school dealing with budget challenges.
“We do a lot of fundraising during the year and our parents are so supportive of anything that we do,” Hudson said about events such as the spring fling, fall festival, dances and movie night. “We have wonderful parents.”
Like Hudson and Warren, Principal Tonya Colwell is looking forward to the event, which will result in funds being used for needs at RES.
“Things pop up often that we need that’s not budgeted,” Colwell said. “The PTO is able to go in and help us out. We really appreciate them.”
The idea for the event came about when Hudson attended a similar event hosted by the Dunn Shriners.
“It’s outside the box and something we’ve never done before,” Hudson said about being creative when it comes to fundraising. “People get tired of the same ol’ thing. We sat down, started taking about it and here we are.”
Although womanless beauty pageants have been around for many years, organizers said RES is probably one of the first elementary schools in the area to host one. Sampson County’s U Care, Inc., which helps victims of domestic violence, also hosted a similar pageant, which featured local firefighters wearing attire made for women.
Hudson added that male parents and family of staff and teachers stepped up to the plate, when it came to getting participating. About eight are scheduled to show off their talents during the event.
“I think it’s going to be fun,” Hudson said. “We’re going to laugh.”
When it came to laughter, Colwell referenced Jimmy Valvano’s ESPY award speech regarding laughter. The sports legend said “If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day.”
“We’re going to be laughing to tears,” Colwell said.
For more information about the event, contact Roseboro Elementary School at 910-525-4538.