It has been such a long time since I've written, but I (allegedly) will be writing more often.

This weekend (which JUST came to an end) I was given three wonderful opportunities to jump back into volunteerism, and it was terrific trip.

Friday night I modeled in the Eleganza Fashion Show at the gorgeous Greenville Country Club. The dinner/show event benefitted the Ministry of Caring Guild and it appeared (from the dressing room and the runway) to be a huge success. It was wonderful to see so many friends, especially Heather (Miss DE 09), Andrew (Mr. DE 09), and all of the wonderful Mrs. contestants and titleholders. Krista Brazell and I modeled great outfits from Mystique Boutigue in Wilmington. I first had on a slim fit black suit with a western style satin black shirt with blue buttons and trim, followed by an AMAZING Michael Kors microsuede camel jacket, white slim fit button down with blue accents, and jeans. We were treated like celebrities and some of us enjoyed a night out at Deep Blue in Wilmington afterwards. Thank you so much to Marci McNair, Mrs. DE US 2009, for the invitation to model.

Probably my favorite picture ever of Heather and I!

Marci and I

Andrew and I in our 'manly' pose


with the lovely Krista

Saturday morning I was a special guest riding in the Wesley College Homecoming Parade through the streets of Downtown Dover. My friend Shannon Reed was the parade coordinator and I can't thank him enough for the opportunity! It was great to see Heather and my driver Joe was terrific! Even getting caught riding in the rain without an umbrella and my CD not working could not have ruined my fun. I love parades! and GO WESLEY! The Wolverines defeated Frostburg 44-19 in the big homecoming game.

All decked out in blue and white!

Posing after the parade with my very sweet ride

Saturday night I joined old and new Cecil Manor friends to celebrate our wonderful bachelorette Nikole! She will be marrying Jim October 24 in Mexico. When I started working at Cecil Manor two years ago I never dreamed I would make these lifelong friends, and I am so thankful for them every day!

Nikole and I!

Sunday morning it was GORGEOUS outside!! I was invited to sing the National Anthem at the National Kidney Foundation walk at Rockford Park in Wilmington. Event coordinator Kimberly Hamm did a fantastic job and the crowd was wonderful. There was no microphone, so I tried to pump up the walkers before I sang and also thanked them for their commitment to volunteerism. As I sang they became silent and it was a very special moment as they cheered at the end. What a terrific morning!

The tents all set up and full of walkers

Kimberly and I

The rest of Sunday proved restful, as I joined Liza for church and then Tammy and I headed over to Milburn Orchards to see the pumpkins and buy some of their amazing apple cider doughnuts! Then Kelly joined us for lunch at Mayflower and the rest of the day was spent relaxing as I get ready to head to NYC for the day tomorrow to reunite with some great friends!


Besides all of these terrific pageant-related events, I am happily now a SUBSTITUTE teacher at Cecil Manor Elementary School and loving every minute of it. I am also busy planning my two local DE pageants for this season, Miss Rehoboth Beach (November 7) and Miss Brandywine (February 6), as well as the 2010 Mr. DE Pageant of course! I have gotten back into voice lessons (finally!) and even will be auditioning for a musical for the first time in over a year. Life is happy and stress-free so far this year so far, quite a change from just 6 months ago!


Lastly and sadly, please keep my best friend (and Miss Kent County 2009) Julie Fuller and her family in all of your thoughts and prayers. Julie's mother is fighting the end of a long battle with multiple myeloma (blood cancer) and they are in need of all of the positive energy we can send. Julie and her mother and both inspiring individuals and I am so proud to call them close friends.


All the best always,


Chris
Mr. DE 2008

Thank you...

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to take this opportunity to update you on the 2009 Mr. DE Pageant. Saturday night proved to be a terrific event full of amazing talent and tons of hysterics.
For those who missed it, the results were as follows...

Mr. DE 2009 ~ Andrew Knopf, Mr. Diamond State
First Runner Up ~ Jake Bauer, Mr. Newark
Second Runner Up ~ Chris Racine, Mr. Bethany Beach

Top Talent ~ Kevin Schlear, Mr. The Claymont
Talent Runner Up ~ Bobbey Biddle, Mr. Wilmington
Interview Winners ~ Jake Bauer and Kevin Schlear
Beach Wear Winner ~ Chris Racine
Evening Wear Winner ~ Andrew Knopf
People's Choice ~ Ryan Stewart, Mr. MOT

Congratulations also to Mr. Pike Creek Matt McConnell, Mr. Tri-County Cameron Varnado, and Mr. 302 Benjamin Hawkins. All of the scores were extemely close and the contestants did a fantastic job.

Thank you also to all of the amazing and dedicated members of the Miss Capital Scholarship Organization, the beautiful Clarion Hotel in New Castle, and the countless other volunteers, donors, and patrons of the 2009 Mr. DE Pageant. The event raised almost $1,000 in PROFIT, all for scholarships.

There are really nice DVDs available of the pageant! They are only $20 and will be edited. If you would like one please e-mail me and I will forward your order. A portion of the proceeds also go towards scholarship.

I want to again thank the state of Delaware (and our surrounding states) for welcoming me throughout the region during my time as Mr. Delaware 2008. As Brittany said the other night, I am excited to continue to represent our state as myself, and I hope to continue to encourage others to join me.

Very sincerely and always yours,

Chris Saltalamacchio
Mr. Delaware 2008

Pictures below...

2008 family...has beens to the right!

Mom and Dad, all the way from NY! :P

Thank you for everything best friend...

Get ready for Beach Wear!

Saying Good-bye :(

Crowning Andrew, Mr. DE 2009!

How ya doin...

Emceeing with Brittany

Let It Rock! Opening Number

Don't miss the 2009 Mr. DE Pageant!!

Do YOU have what it takes to capture the title?

Please e-mail me at mrde2008@gmail.com if you are interested in competing. We are still aceepting contestants!

The 2009 Mr. DE Pageant will take place at the newly refurbished Clarion Hotel ~ The Belle in New Castle, DE. Doors open at 7:00 and all tickets are $10.00. The pageant begins at 7:30. There will also be a Silent Auction and Cash Bar available. All proceeds from tickets and auction support scholarship finds for Delaware's finest young women!

February 09...Part 1!

February 09 Part I…

WOW This has been a busy month. 14 appearances in 28 days! Some days were filled with two or three, and that’s just how the month started off!

On Thursday, February 5, Vincenza (Carrieri-Russo, Miss DE USA 08) and I were invited to attend the Downtown Newark Partnership’s Volunteer Reception at the Deer Park Tavern on Main Street. I feel so lucky to live in a city with such an active and involved community. Cenz and I volunteered at a number of Newark events this year it was very generous of them to invite us. It was nice to see new Lt. Governor Matt Denn again and as always, Congressman Mike Castle. We also made new friends in City Councilman Ezra Temko (just around our age!) and his boyfriend Drew and had a great time chatting over some good food.

From Newark I headed down to Camden to volunteer at Miss Delaware Vera Bradley Bingo. Laura Moylan did a great job putting this together and it was so much fun to catch up with Galen (gold sash and all!) since she returned from her phenomenal Top 15 performance at Miss America. We had a great time calling winning numbers and mingling with the ladies before receiving a private tour of the new Camden-Wyoming Fire Hall. If you haven’t seen our pictures on Facebook, we had a ton of fun with our favorite princess Sarah Janney, especially in the lounge! LOL

Saturday the 7th was a BUSY day. I sang some love songs at Shop for Heart at Boscov’s Christiana in the morning, which was a store-wide event that benefitted the American Heart Association. They have been a very welcoming destination for me and I thoroughly thank them for all of their support this year, especially Wanda Allison, a near and dear new friend. From there I headed up to New Jersey for two more appearances. I was a special guest performer at the Mrs. New Jersey US Cabaret for a Cause, which was also a benefit for the American Heart Association. I sang my standard “Foggy Day” by Michael Buble and also Clay Aiken’s “This is the Night”. I met some wonderful new friends in NJ and also had the opportunity to catch up with Dr. Ellie (Mrs. DE US 08) and Marci McNair, who is competing for the title on March 15. A HUGE thank you to Michelle Harris Anderson (Miss DE 1995) and Chris Wilshire for inviting me and putting on such a classy event. Congratulations to Mrs. NJ US Evelyn Macleod on an amazing year of service!

Julie was supposed to meet me at the Miss Cumberland County Pageant in NJ that night but was unable to do so because of her injured foot. I made it there just in time to see Ashleigh (Udalovas, Miss NJ’s Sweetheart) tap dance her way to the crown! She was stunning and poised and it was so exciting to reunite with her, her parents, and Claire (Miss IN Sweetheart) who had just returned from Miss America. So it was a long day, but a great day!

Monday evening February 9 presented a very special opportunity. My new favorite Councilman Ezra Temko invited me to the City of Newark council meeting to speak on behalf of four equal rights proposals he was promoting to the council. Several people spoke on behalf of the proposals and only one spoke against. It was amazing to stand up there as a representative of my community and choose not to wear my sash, but to lay it down in front of me and speak as a community resident. Vincenza came to support me and we were all excited that all four proposals passed. The City of Newark will now make some amendments to its personnel policies and work hard to research alternative lifestyles. Ezra’s sister owns Home Grown on Main Street (one of my faves!), so we went there for a celebratory dinner.

On February 15 Julie and I met up with the new Miss Cumberland County (NJ) Ashleigh at the Miss All-State/Liberty Pageant. Congratulations to the two new titleholders. The pageant was held at the gorgeous Broadway Theater in Pitman.

Obviously the first half of February was quite busy! Another update will follow on the second half in the near future. Thanks for reading!

Preparations for the new Mr. pageant on April 11 are in full swing. I’m still finalizing venue choice but the event is sure to be a ton of fun…unlike any other pageant you’ve ever been to! Unless you were there last year…so thanks for that! J Please have any interested contestants or supporters contact me!

All the best always,

Chris Saltalamacchio
Mr. Delaware 2008

Hello everyone, and welcome to March of 2009! WOW!

As I look forward to my final few weeks as Mr. Delaware 2008, I also have the chance to reflect on my year (plus) and realize all of the wonderful opportunities that were available to me. Performing at pageants, recitals, and cabaret events, traveling all over my state as well as neighboring states, and especially volunteering for a number of charities are things that all float to the top of my list.

As I reach the end of my reign I hope to update my blog more often. Sadly I tried to learn how to put up mini slideshows from Galen but I guess I couldn't grasp her directions! If you've never visited her blog, please do! missdelaware.blogspot.com.

All the best for a wonderful first week of March!

Chris

The first 6 months...

As I begin to update my blog more often, here are two slideshows. One is a collection of my favorite appearance photos from November 07-May 08, the other a short sideshow from the winning night!

Enjoy and Happy New Year!

Chris :)

Winning Mr. Delaware 2008!