Contest adds fun to event

April 13, 2012

Miss Relay contest adds fun to the Auglaize County Relay for Life scheduled for June 22 and 23.

One of the first men to wear the crown of “Miss Relay” at the Auglaize County Relay for Life said he would encourage others to wear a dress, get made up and don a wig for the fun event.
Scott Steinke, better known as “Porky,” of Fryburg, was crowned in 2000 in an event few people have forgotten.
Laura Kelley, team recruiter for this year’s Auglaize County Relay for Life, remembers well how Steinke looked in that outfit.
“I heard about the contest and I like to have a good time,” Steinke said. “I told the women on my team to ‘make me pretty.’”
Steinke picked out an older style violet dress to wear, wrapped a bonnet around his brown wig, and was made up in bright lipstick, blush and eyeshadow. He even shaved his legs, but he kept his mustache.
He represented his relay team and family business, Steinke Concrete Construction, in the contest.
“It’s a good cause,” Steinke said, noting that with the right people, it’s also a lot of fun.
Each team participating in Relay for Life is invited to nominate one of its men to dress like a woman and enter the Miss Relay contest, which has at times also required them to participate in talent competitions as part of the show.
“The guys always have a lot of fun, strutting their stuff,” Kelley said, laughing about the two men who once dressed up as Hooters girls.
“It really adds some entertainment and pumps things back up,” she said. “Relay for Life is a celebration of survival and some parts are hard. The Miss Relay contest is late on Friday night after the luminary ceremony and gets us focused back on having fun.”
Relay for Life and each of its events are open to anyone in the community, not just those with teams and Kelley encouraged everyone to come out and watch some of the crazier events, such as the Miss Relay contest, as well as the luminary ceremony, in memory of those who have died from cancer and in honor of those who have fought the battle.
Kelley said with 10 teams currently registered for Auglaize County’s Relay for Life, scheduled for Friday, June 22, and Saturday, June 23, at the Auglaize County Fairgrounds, they are always looking for more teams and it’s never too late to sign up. v