Batons, belly dances and bravado made up the bulk of the recent Ms. Maryland Senior American Cameo Club showing, “Age of Elegance.” The presentation sponsored by the Vietnamese Senior Association of Maryland (VSAM) gathered former and current senior pageant winners in the local area. 
            Clad in fishnets and a flapper-style black dress, the 2006 state title winner sang “When You’re Good to Mama” from Chicago, complete with vibrato and dancing. Mary Fawcett Watko, 64, said she finds energy from the people around her. She plans to compete for the national title of Ms. Senior America in November in Las Vegas.

            “I wanted to get the message across to other seniors that life is full – it doesn’t change when you get older,” she said, with eyes wide. “You still have to be active and get involved. The Senior America Pageant encourages seniors of America to enjoy their life.”
            Each of the members, ages 60 to 80, has been in at least one pageant in the past. The contest judges the women by their grace and poise in interviews and talent. The life-giving purpose of the pageant inspired the Cameo Club to hold performances once a month in their state, exhibiting ballet, acting, baton twirling, belly dancing, quilting, and other talents. At one nursing home visit, a resident approached one of women to say that the Cameo Club was her first and best visitor in months.

            “What we all enjoy about this is giving people a little bit of happiness,” Nancy Mattheu, the group’s president said. “Sometimes we perform in nursing homes – places hardly anybody visits. We always talk to people after the show.”

They usually tell their audience members to enter the pageants themselves.

“Many people think that it’s downhill after 60, but it’s not,” Matteu said. “Like the contest’s name, this is the age of elegance. You can be vivacious and you can just carry on. And when you stop, that’s when you can’t do it anymore.”

Reaching the age of 60 and living in their state for at least 3 months are the only requirements for the pageant.

As a member of both the Cameo Club and VSAM, 2004 contestant Lambao Nguyen planned the recent event to introduce Vietnamese community to outside organizations. She also invited David Lee, executive director of Maryland Governor's Office on AAPI and Anne H. Avery, AAPI outreach coordinator for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as the event’s special guests.

Like many of the VSAM seniors, Nguyen is a Vietnamese refugee. She came to the U.S. 20 years ago after living in Indonesia. Nguyen said 95 percent of the seniors do not speak English and have low income. The pageant event was another way for the seniors to get out of their homes and have a good time.

“My Vietnamese people have many needs,” Nguyen said. “They need transportation, fundraising, and of course, entertainment.”