BRIGHTON BEACH, Brooklyn (WABC) — A group of Brooklyn grandmothers is proving age is just a number as they prepare to take the stage in the 25th annual Your Highness Grandmother Pageant in Brighton Beach.
The event, organized by Be Proud, celebrates the wisdom, talent and vitality of local babushkas. Contestants ranging in age from their 80s to 90s gathered this week for rehearsals ahead of Sunday’s competition at Tatiana Restaurant.
Galina Baturina proudly shared that she is 85 years old. Fellow contestant Mara Goldshtein is 90.
“What do you love about this beauty pageant?” reporter Joelle Gargiulo asked Goldshtein.
“I am in life, and this is one year. My brain works more and more,” Goldshtein said.
Organizers say the pageant has become a beloved Brighton Beach tradition over the past quarter century.
As for the judges, they are grandfathers.
“Who gets the most applause?” said Alexander Zhorov, chairperson of the board of directors for the Be Proud organization. “But everybody is a winner.”
Emcee Alexander Lachman said the event gives families a chance to see their grandmothers in a new light.
“The grandchildren watching, they discover their grandmother. They’re, like, young,” Lachman said.
For Goldshtein’s son, Daniel, watching his mother compete is nothing new.
“She’s a wild woman. Always has been, always will be,” he said.
Despite her age, Goldshtein said she is still up for the challenge, while offering well wishes to her fellow contestants.
“I wish everybody who will compete to be in there and to be healthy,” she said. “I don’t know if I will compete next year because 90… 91 is a little bit complicated.”
The 25th annual Your Highness Grandmother Pageant begins at noon Sunday at Tatiana Restaurant in Brighton Beach. Winners may receive a crown, but organizers say every contestant is celebrated for staying active, engaged, and young at heart.
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