MISS HAMPTON BEACH RETURNS
On Sunday, July 25, the 75th Miss Hampton Beach Pageant — an event that has welcomed contestants from across the nation and world — will take place at the Sea Shell Stage.
“I’ve had young women in just my 25 years compete from New England states, but also New York, Florida, Texas and Europe,” said Pageant Director Stephanie Rose Lussier. “People vacation from everywhere at Hampton Beach.”
She said she sometimes refers to the pageant as her sister sorority, as it provides young women with “an opportunity to make friends with people they might not ever meet and possibly create their own network pool.”
“All the while, it provides a fun venue to learn interview skills, time management, stage presence, teamwork and camaraderie,” she said.
Lussier knows the event as well as anyone, as she was first runner-up to the pageant title in 1994, when it was still held in the Casino Ballroom. She came back the next year for the 50th anniversary and won.
“At the time, I had been competing in pageants and earning scholarship money for college,” she said. “My family owns a corner lot at Hampton Beach where we have always had and rented cottages.”
Though billed as the 75th edition, the pageant is actually more than 100 years old, according to Lussier.
“Although this will be the 75th pageant, that was when it was incorporated with a state registered title,” she said. “Prior to that, it was always a Carnival Queen crowned each year for selling the most tickets or later getting the most votes.”
For contestants, this rich history serves as backdrop to what last year’s winner, Anna-Marie Alukonis, described as a competition with “a very fun and incredibly relaxed environment.”
“In the morning, we began our day with an interview at the Purple Urchin,” she recounted. “The judges were incredibly welcoming and kind.”
Upon completion of the interview, all contestants went out for lunch at the Green Room at Hampton Beach. Once the show began, she said, they danced in the opening number and walked in swimwear and evening gown before the Top 5 was announced. From there, each remaining contestant answered a question.
“Shortly after that, I found myself hand in hand with my first runner-up, Sophia,” said Alukonis. “In the next breath, I was crowned Miss Hampton Beach. … The experience was humbling and full of fun.”
It is an experience that comes with responsibilities, too, as Lussier said Miss Hampton Beach is ultimately “a spokesperson and ambassador of tourism for Hampton Beach and the Seacoast.”
Alukonis agreed and said this past year has been full of “amazing opportunities,” which have included participation in the Newburyport Yankee Homecoming parade and helping raise money for the Special Olympics of New Hampshire.
“My sister queens [Jr. Miss Hampton Beach Oliva and Little Miss Hampton Beach Riley] and I were presented a plethora of opportunities and, as a group, took full advantage of them,” she said. “Traveling the Seacoast and engaging with the community has been so rewarding. The Miss Hampton Beach Pageant is an incredible part of history and to have a community that cares for the pageant so deeply makes every event so special.”
It is an event, noted Lussier, that takes a lot of support from the local community and state, many of whom helped to ensure last year’s event could still be held despite the pandemic.
As for the future of the current Miss Hampton Beach, Alukonis said she plans to continue to work hard in school, as she is currently studying to become a nurse at Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts.
“I hope to one day specialize in Aesthetics Nursing,” she said.
For now, though, her plan is to continue to give back to her community by volunteering.
“Hampton Beach holds a special place in my heart, as it was the very first pageant I ever competed in at the age of 10,” she said. “Little did I know at the time, but it was just the beginning of a lifetime of experiences and opportunities that I will cherish forever. … I am beyond grateful to have been able to represent Hampton Beach after nine years of starting my journey at that very spot.”
The 75th Miss Hampton Beach Pageant will be held at the Sea Shell Stage at 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 25. The annual Little Miss and Junior Miss Hampton Beach will be held at the stage the day before, on Saturday, July 24, at 2 p.m. Both pageants are free to attend.
— Rob Levey
Courtesy photo.
