Contestants in the "Womanless Beauty Pageant" last Saturday night line up on the stage for their opening dance routine, guided by organizer Katie Boger. BELOW LEFT: Pageant Winner Bryant Pierce, who works as a deputy at the Alleghany Sheriff's Office, shows off his moves for the judges, who are (from left) Danny Linker, David "Squeak" Edwards and Bob Bamberg.

Show raises $2,400 for Relay

The second annual "womanless" beauty pageant held last Saturday night helped raise about $2,400 for the Alleghany Relay for Life.

The Relay is an annual fund-raiser that is held nationwide to benefit the American Cancer Society.

The event, which featured local men and boys dressed as women in various comedy skits, was held at the Sparta School auditorium. The event was organized by Katie Boger and her Wilkes Community College Student Government Association Relay team.

Boger commented prior to the show that she had hoped this year's effort would bring in at least $2,000, but the results actually ended up doubling the first-year total of $1,200.

"I felt like everyone did a great job of helping me organize the event and everything worked really well this year," Boger said. "We sold over $1,000 in tickets the night of the show and that doesn't count the advance ticket sales."

While an official head count wasn't made, Boger estimates that between 300 and 400 people attended the show this year. "That was really good with the weather like it was."