Almost everyone knows the famous pageant theme song “Miss America.”  Now imagine the same tune with the revised lyrics “There he is Mr. Cedar Cliff.  There he is your ideal...” That version of the famous theme song will apply to one young man Feb. 18 when he wins the title of Cedar Cliff’s first-ever man pageant.

Mini-THON event organizers Grace Ghiazza and Sophie Miller created the pageant as part of Cedar Cliff’s annual pediatric cancer fundraiser activities.   Dubbed “Mr. Cedar Cliff,” aka the “Man Pageant,” this contest will pit a variety of guys against one another to compete for the new title. Freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior boys are allowed to participate. Contestants will be judged according to several criteria: how much money they raise through their Mini-THON donor drive accounts, how well they do at lip synching and how savvy they are at playing trivia.

 “I’m kinda nervous to do it,” said sophomore Nick Puig. “But I figured ‘why not’? I don’t think I’ll win, though.”

  Being nervous to compete is definitely understandable, as Mini-THON always draws a sizable crowd from the school’s population. This nervousness may be doubled, because in addition to the other judging criteria, contestants must have some sort of talent to present to the crowd.

 “I’m going to sing,” said senior Alex Lantz. “Honestly, I think winning would be hard since there’s a lot of other talented people.” Lantz said winning doesn’t really matter to him. “I just want to go up there and do my thing. It’s for a good cause, and I have no reason not to.”

Potential candidates interested in being a part of the contest may be in luck because sign-ups are still ongoing.

What Mr. Cedar Cliff will win after capturing the title remains undecided for now. Perhaps he will simply enjoy his 15 minutes of fame. Given the cause for which he is competing, that should be reward enough.