Miss America Visits Seashore Gardens in Galloway

Miss America was in Galloway on Tuesday.

Miss America 2015 Kira Kazantsev visited Seashore Gardens Living Center (SGLC) on Tuesday to visit with residents, many of whom grew up with the pageant.

“These particular residents happen to have very fond memories of Miss America, and the home is modeled after Atlantic City in the 1930’s,” she posted on Instagram. “One resident told me that he attended the pageant 46 years in a row and volunteered as a security guard for 19 of those years.”

She led a drum circle with a combined group of Assisted Living residents and long term care residents on 2 North. She also performed her talent from the National Competition, as the residents accompanied her on the drums. Afterward, she toured the neighborhoods at SGLC and then viewed a video that the residents had made about the Miss America Pageant.

Resident Bea Reisman, 102, gave Kazantsev a single rose to mark her beauty and individuality. Mary Hood, president of the Residents Council, gave Kazantsev a gift bag of SGLC items including some kosher snacks for the road. Kazantsev also posed for photos with residents and staff.

“She’s a lovely, lovely person beside being beautiful,” Reisman said. “She came while we were practicing our drum circle and she joined in. She’s very good at it. She’s congenial, she spoke to all of us; she seemed to be so happy to be with us. And we were so happy to see her.”

Information and photos for this post were provided by Seashore Gardens:

Photo credit: Alex Anton

Photo 1: Miss America 2015 Kira Kazantsev performs her cup routine for the residents at SGLC. Pictured left to right: Missy Rundio, Ruth Friss, Kira Kazantsev and Jeanne Engelhardt.

Photo credit: Alex Anton

Photo 2: Miss America 2015 Kira Kazantsev is joined by Mary Hood (left) and the residents and staff of Seashore Gardens Living Center as they view a video created by SGLC residents about the Miss America pageant.

Photo credit: Alex Anton

Photo 3: CEO Marty Klein assists Bea Reisman in a gift presentation to Miss America 2015 Kira Kazantsev that included a single rose.

Photo credit: Alex Anton

Photo 4: Miss America 2015 Kira Kazantsev visits with SGLC resident Howard Berger, a former newsman who used to cover the Miss America pageant.

Photo credit: Alex Anton

Photo 5: Miss America 2015 Kira Kazantsev poses on the Boardwalk at SGLC with (L to R) SGLC Executive Director Janice Cambron, CEO Marty Klein and Chairman of the Board Jason Goldstein.