Zota Baker reigns as the 2016 beauty queen. She was the winner of the beauty pageant presented by the Golden Living Center in Anderson on Friday, May 20.
Baker will go on to compete in the Missouri Health Care Association District IV Beauty Pageant on June 1 in Springfield at the Ramada Oasis Convention Center.
Entries in this year's beauty pageant were: Laura Gideon, Nola Wilson, Margie Mitchell, Betina Fifer and Zota Baker.
"We've been having the pageant for at least a decade," Jess Thrasher, officiator of the pageant, said. "It is really a team effort and we try to make it a community event, utilizing business members or various community neighbors."
The judges this year were: Erica Wasson, of Poppy's Daylight Doughnuts; KayCee Hunter, Point of View Community Center; and Lacey Matney, McDonald County Coalition.
Thrasher interviewed the candidates before the selection of the winner, asking them about their lives and their families and telling interesting anecdotes about them.
While the judges made their decisions regarding the winner, the Set Free Singers, who perform every Tuesday for the residents at Golden, entertained the audience.
Thrasher said that Baker "was quite excited to have won."
"I was ecstatic," Baker said. "I couldn't believe it. I was so happy to have won it."
All the contestants looked radiant and were clearly enjoying themselves. They were dressed in formal attire.
The pageant had a large attendance by residents and staff at the Golden Living Center, and there was a lot of applauding for the contestants.
The Golden Living Center offers many social and recreational activities for residents throughout the year, as well as numerous amenities such as spiritual services, facility-provided transportation, in-room cable hook-up, private telephone lines, fitness center, hairdressing services, dining, televisions, private rooms and pet visits.
Community on 05/26/2016