COMMUNITY
Lynn Haven Health and Rehabilitation had a Ms. Lynn Haven Pageant, welcoming families back into the facility and giving contestants a chance to feel good about themselves.
Leslie Coleman, Lynn Haven administrator, said they prepared facts about each contestant that day, so they didn’t have to really talk. She said families were invited, and it was just a great time for everyone. She said all the pageant contestants were able to dress up that day.
“We found out if they were interested in the pageant or not, and we had eight ladies who wanted to do it,” she said. “We are trying to squeeze off as many normal activities as possible, so we went ahead with it. It was nice to do a normal activity with families and with our residents.”
Dorothy Warren was crowned Ms. Lynn Haven for 2022, Delores Brown was the first runner up and Annabelle Thrower was the second runner up in the pageant. Coleman said all the ladies in the pageant were winners.
Warren said she grew up in Macon and loved it. She said they had a pet chimpanzee. She said it would throw eggs at her father, and her father loved animals. She’s lived at Lynn Haven just over a year.
“My daddy bought a house where he sold cigarettes, candy and drinks. As the years went by he built on to it. When I got married years later, I lived in my house for 42 years. We lived in a poor neighborhood, but I had a great childhood,” she said.
Ms. Lynn Haven said it was fun to get dressed and get her hair done for the pageant. She said she had worn her dress to a wedding before, and that was the last time she had dressed fancy. She was not expecting to win the pageant.
“I was nervous, and when I got up there, I had to be told everything to do,” Warren said. “I was afraid I was going to have to talk, but I enjoyed every bit of it. I stood there with my son. My daughter-in-law helped me get dressed that day. It was exciting to win.”
Warren said she loves living at Lynn Haven. She said she is well taken care of and doesn’t want to go anywhere else.
“I like playing bingo here, because it’s something exciting to do. I like winning the bingo bucks, and I exercise here every day. I really don’t want to go anywhere else,” she said.
Coleman said her favorite thing about the pageant was watching the judges deliberate. She said they had a three-way tie at first, so the judges needed more information. She said it was a hard decision for them. It was a fun day for all the ladies.
“The contestants had fun during the pageant. They were really cute, and it was fun to see them smile,” the administrator said. “These ladies can tell when they look good. They were really feeling good that day.”
