By CHRISTINE BOATWRIGHT / Staff Writer

MT LAUREL – The Ms. Shelby County Pageant, the preliminary pageant for Ms. Senior Alabama, will be April 28 at 2 p.m. at Mt Laurel Elementary School.

The pageant is still open for additional contestants, as the deadline is April 21. Contestants must be 60-plus years old and be able to perform a talent.

“It’s the same as the Miss Alabama Pageant, but we have philosophy of life instead of swimsuit,” said Edwina Chappell, a Westover resident who was crowned Ms. Senior Alabama 2008.

The contest is also a scholarship program. A “deserving” student from the county of the state pageant receives a scholarship.

Tickets for the pageant will be available at the door for $5.

Mt Laurel Elementary School is located at 1 Jefferson Place, Birmingham. For more information or to register as a contestant, call Chappell at 365-6080.