Wanted: Miss Winnipesaukee Pageant info.

[MWSP]

Hello,
I am co-director and historian for the Miss Winnipesaukee Scholarship Program, which people may remember as the Miss Winnipesaukee Beauty Pageant from days gone by. For the past several years I have been assembling the history of the pageant and a list of past winners. I was told about this forum and it's history section and hope some of the readers have old photos or newspaper articles they would like to share with us.

For those who do not know, the pageant used to be held at Irwin's Winnipesaukee Gardens dance hall on the pier in the Weirs from 1925 until 1968. In 1969, the Lawton family took over running the contest. Now it is a 501c3 tax-exempt scholarship program and according to the information I received from the Miss America organization, it is the oldest Miss America local preliminary in the country.

I am looking for old photos, newspaper articles and other related items to add to our archives and website www.misswinni.org . Some of the information is already online and more still needs to be formatted and uploaded. If you would like to share any historical information with us, it can be mailed to:

The Miss Winnipesaukee Scholarship Program
P.O. Box 5573
Weirs Beach, NH 03247

Thank You,
Gary

[Mee-n-Mac]

You've probably already seen these posts but just in case you didn't ... check the following (below) out. In particular scroll about 1/2 way down on #3 to see the postcard/picture of the pagent. I'd say mcdude is your main man for this info

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...ead.php?t=1748

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...ead.php?t=1750

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...ead.php?t=1759

[mcdude]

Hi Gary:
To the best of my knowledge this is about all you'll find on-line. It is from the Lake Winnipesaukee Historical Society page;
"Irwin’s Winnipesaukee Gardens opened on Memorial Day weekend in 1925 and was an instant hit with the music-loving public of the 1920s. Top bands touring the country now had a new, lively place to play in, one with an ideal lakeside setting that was perfect for a summer night. And WKAV was soon conducting live broadcasts from the Gardens, bringing the Big Band sound to listeners all over New Hampshire.

And Irwin was quick to capitalize on the bathing beauty phenomena which had been started by Atlantic City’s Miss America Pageant in 1919, creating the Miss Winnipesaukee Pageant the very same year that the Gardens opened. The pageant is still going strong and has produced more Miss New Hampshire winners than any other pageant in the state."
(link to.... http://www.lwhs.us/wei-winnipesaukeepier.htm )

I still haven't gotten to the Lake Winnipesaukee Historical Society Museum but my guess is that they would have tons of information.

Here is a list of winners that you may have seen and may even be the page you are working on (?)

I also have another contact who may be able to help if you want to e-mail me.

Good Luck! We'd love to see your work when it's done. McD

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Have you contacted the Irwin family?

I will keep my eyes open for any Miss Winnipesaukee historical items.
Please share any information you find with us!

Good luck!

[MWSP]

Yes, the list of winners is from our website. I do have the names and newspaper articles for the 1925-1936 winners after spending countless hours at the Laconia library on the microfilm machine. I can look for about 2 hours at best before I cannot focus my eyes! Our webmaster has that information and will hopefully get it up soon. Photos for those years are hard to come by since most of the coverage was text only.

I did contact the Irwin family a few years ago and Jack told me he no longer had any of the old information. When time permits, I will go to the State library and search their archives for more information and pictures. It would be nice to have copies of candid pictures taken over the years and possibly some comments from past crown holders.

We would also like to extend an invitation to any past Miss Winnipesaukee crown holders to attend the program this year as special guests.

I'll be sure to share any new discoveries with the readers here. The history is fascinating and it would appear this forum reaches great distances so maybe a friend of a friend remembers someone who was a past winner.

Thanks Again,
Gary

[MWSP]

Here is the information I have uncovered so far on the first Miss Winnipesaukee (1925), Alma F. Cavagnaro.
-Gary-


From the August 12, 1925 issue of the Boston Globe:
“Winnipesaukee Beauty Prize Carried off By Boston Girl”
Miss Alma F. Cavagnaro Selected as Winner – Trophies Awarded in Dancing Contest
The Weirs, NH Aug 11 – Miss Alma F. Cavagnaro of Boston was selected as Miss Winnipesaukee when she won the beauty contest at Irwin’s Winnipesaukee Gardens last night. More than 3000 persons were present at the contest and the 10th annual official championship contest of ballroom dancing.
The old-fashioned waltz contest was won by Thomas Loughlin and Miss Catherine Peters of Dover, and a dancing contest won by Mr. And Mrs. Alfred Davis of Lakeport. The winners were awarded silver trophies, following the contests there was a grand march led by the winners of the contests.
The judges for the dancing were George Pirrie and Nick Boland, and for the beauty contest James R. Irwin, Roscoe Wright of Tilton and Edward Dorn of Boston.
Miss Cavagnaro, who is 21 years old, is the daughter of Police Inspector and Mrs. Joseph Cavagnaro of Boston. She is a typical blonde, 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighs 130 pounds and has classical features. She is a summer resident of Lake Winnisquam.

[MWSP]

We were honored last night by having Karen Price, the daughter of Miss Winnipesaukee 1944 as our guest speaker at the 81st annual Miss Winnipesaukee Pageant. Karen's mother, Marilyn Dearborn, passed away this spring. Karen brought her mother's trophy to the pageant along with the original 1944 newspaper articles for all to see. Here is a copy of the article that appeared in Saturday's Evening Citizen:

GILFORD — Karen Price, the daughter of Miss Winnipesaukee 1944 Marilyn Dearborn, will speak at the 81st annual Miss Winnipesaukee Scholarship Competition tonight. Dearborn passed away this spring.

Co-Director of the Scholarship Program Gary Vincent asked Price, who lives in Maryland, to fly up for the event.

"She'll actually be showing her mother's original trophy from 1944," Vincent said.

Dearborn was a Boston native. At the time, anyone would compete in the Miss Winnipesaukee Pageant, which was simply a bathing suit competition. Dearborn was vacationing in the area and decided to sign up.

After Dearborn won, Winnie Shaw, a celebrity who vacationed in The Weirs, presented her with the trophy.

Vincent said that the Miss Winnipesaukee Pageant, the oldest local pageant in the United States, once afforded it's winner the opportunity to compete in the Miss America Pageant, although, by Dearborn's time, Miss America competitors had to hold a state title.

http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll...0140/0/CITIZEN

[MWSP]

Hello Everyone,
Some of the information gathered over the past several months is now on our website. The coverage in the Laconia Evening Citizen seems to shrink during the late 1930’s and 1940’s so I am refocusing my energy to find copies of The Winnipesaukee Times, which was published by Jim Irwin.

The State Library has no copies nor does the NH Historical Society. I have a few from the 1950’s that are very fragile. Does anyone have copies of this newspaper and if so, could you scan any Miss Winnipesaukee information for us or let us borrow them?

Thanks,
Gary

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Thanks Gary for sharing the information you have gathered so far.
I haven't been ignoring you and this subject, I've just been busy.
As things slow down here I will renew my hunt for information for Miss Winnipesaukee.
I've uncovered a few leads to check out, but it may take a while to look into them.
Until then... keep us posted!

[MWSP]

Hi Rattlesnake Gal,
Thank you for the message. I have enjoyed gathering this information, especially since the pageant has been around so long and the stories are so interesting. Many of the early Miss Winnipesaukee winners were from Mass. and I wonder if any people on this forum know their descendants?

Some day I will finish this project but I think it won't be any day soon!

Take Care,
Gary

[MWSP]

I received an e-mail several months ago asking for the Miss Winnipesaukee winners from 1931-1934. The sender’s mother was Miss Newfound Lake in 1932 and family rumor says she was Miss Winnipesaukee some time between 1931-1934. I have eliminated 1931 and 1932 from their list but we are missing names from 33-35 so maybe she was a winner in those years. If anyone has copies of the old Winnipesaukee Times from those years, please let me know.

Thanks,
Gary

[MWSP]

Emily Hughes, the current Miss Winnipesaukee was crowned Miss New Hampshire last night at the 60th annual Miss NH Scholarship Pageant. She is the latest in a long line of Miss Winni's who have gone on to capture the title of Miss NH. Last year's Miss Winnipesaukee, Justine Barker (the current Miss Seacoast), was 2nd runner up in the competition.

[SteveA]

Gary,

This is from an old brochure, 60's I think...

Note the comment on the Miss Lake Shore Park contest





SteveA

[MWSP]

Hi Steve,
Thank you for posting that! I also recall coming across a story about a Miss Interlaken Park pageant as well. I think when Miss America started in 1921, everyone jumped on the pageant bandwagon.

Gary

[gravy boat]

Hi MWSP,

About 10 minutes ago, I was cleaning out one of my closets -- I came upon a scrapbook belonging to my deceased mother. Mom was a contestant in the 1948 Miss Winni pageant and the scrapbook contains the front page from the August 20, 1948 Winnipesaukke Times. The page includes a photo of three gals, including my mother in the middle.

THe caption reads: "The three top contestants in Tuesday night's contest are shown above, from left to right: Evelyn Lessard, Lakeport, NH; Eleanor Boerner, Lake Shore Park and North Plainfield, NJ; and Flora Jane Sleeper of Laconia, NH."

The headline above the photo reads "Flora Sleeper "Miss Winnipesaukee 1948'".

I also have the front page of The Laconia Evening Citizen for Wed., August 10, 1949, the following year's pageant -- this photo includes 11 bathing beauties, Mom included again.


I have to say it was fun finding this information!

Gravy

[MWSP]

Hi Gravy,
I sent you a PM about those articles. Flora Sleeper won Miss Winnipesaukee in 1948 and then won the title of Miss New Hampshire 1949.

Copies of the Winnipesaukee Times are scarce. From the research I have done, it appears no entity has copies of this publication. I even tried the NH Historical Society and the NH State Library with no luck. Each of them referred me to the other.

Thanks,
Gary