Several centuries of talent and wisdom were on display Friday at Meadowbrook Mall during the 16th annual Little Balkans Senior King and Queen Pageant.
Residents of area assisted living and long term care facilities competed in the event.
In the end, crowns went to Eileen Keller and David Bevan, both Via Christi Village residents, as assisted living queen and king, and Cleo Barnhart, Chanute Health Care, and Marvin Purviance, Fort Scott Manor, long term care queen and king.
For her talent presentation, Keller told of the Orphan Trains, which brought children from the east to new homes in Kansas. Her maternal grandparents had taken in several of these children.
She said that winning the crown was a very big surprise for her.
“This was a very new experience for me, but it was fun,” Keller said. “Everybody was so wonderful. We have lots of wonderful people around.”
Bevan said he was planning to sing for the competition, but another contestant chose the same song.
“So I just told a couple of jokes,” the assisted living king said. “I wish I’d gotten to sing, though.”
Bevan said he was honored to receive the crown. “This is a nice recognition for all us old folks,” he said. “There’s a lot of talent here, and it’s nice to get it assembled and let people know us old folks don’t just sit.”
Barnhart showed three quilts she had made.
“I’m shocked,” she said. “I never dreamed that I would be a queen. I’m thrilled about it. I never thought I would get that much attention.”
Barnhart, 88, is the mother of eight children. “We lived by the railroad tracks and the train always woke us up at 3 a.m.,” she joked. “It was too early to get up then, so we had to do something.”
Marvin Purviance sang a Willie Nelson song.
“I started singing in the nursing home with a country music band,” he said. “I’m a fan of country music and 1950s rock ‘n roll, especially Elvis Presley. There’s only one king, and that’s Elvis.”
Purviance said he had been nervous about singing for the pageant, and was stunned when he won.
“I feel like I’ll wake up and find out that I was dreaming,” he said.
Joe Hart served as master of ceremonies, with Jim Wilson at the piano. Providing entertainment were Dalton Windsor, Jack Lemon, John Scott as Elvis, Bert VanLuyck, Susie Lundy and Lisa Gerstenkorn.
Other assisted living contestants were: Bonnie Linder, Guest Home Estates IV, DuReece Poor, Via Christi Village, and Beatrice Foster, Residencies of Pleasanton.
Other long term care contestants were: Charlotte Corter, Via Christi Village; Anne Jones, Sunset Manor; Madeline Cooper, Fort Scott Manor; Darlene “Mickey” LaSalle and Kay Bough, both of Medicalodge in Pittsburg; Hattie Holman, Medicalodge of Fort Scott; and Gerald Finch, Via Christi Village.
“Each of these people, in my mind, is a king or a queen,” Lundy said. “They don’t ask me to help with this pageant each year, I beg to do it.”
