L&M Publications
Merrick Life • Bellmore Life • Freeport-Baldwin Leader • Wantagh-Seaford Citizen

Who will be Miss Wantagh this year? One lucky young woman will be crowned at the Fourth of July Parade next Monday. This has been a Wantagh tradition since 1956.

“This is not a beauty pageant,” explained Ella Stevens, Fourth of July Association president and Miss Wantagh Pageant coordinator.

“It is a pageant whereby academic excellence and community service is highlighted. It is not uncommon to find that past Miss Wantagh participants have continued giving back to their community or have shown leadership qualities in their respective careers.”

For the first time this year, residents may attend an event featuring the Miss Wantagh semifinalists on Thursday, June 30 at Wantagh High School.           

Below is a list of the former Miss Wantaghs. You’ll notice that we don’t have the names of the Miss Wantagh for 1965 or 1961. Write to The Citizen if you know who they were or if you’d like to share a story or have a photograph of one of our former winners.

Good luck to all the girls. You are all winners!


Miss Wantagh
2010 Kelley Garland
2009 Eden Held
2008 Katina Mountanos
2007 Mary Kleshefsky
2006 Erin Dempsey
2005 Kristina Doucet
2004 Marisa Porcelli
2003 Samantha Spindel
2002 Briana Kane
2001 Rena Malik
2000 Doretta Raffio
1999 Meghan Elliott
1998 Laura Procida
1997 Jennifer Gabriel
1996 Linda Cleet
1995 Sari Schenker
1994 Cristina Lashuk
1993 Carrie Anne Lorenz
1992 Diana Wille
1991 Gerrie Murphy
1990 Andrea Weinstein
1989 Coleen Walsh
1988 Elise Henderson
1987 Lucine Humes
1986 Lynn Ohlander
1985 Marissa Harte
1984 Noreen Reilly
1983 Noreen Reilly
1982 Brenda Butler
1980 Margaret Esposito
1979 Jennifer Craig
1978 Nina MacGinn
1977 Maureen Kavanagh
1976 Valerie Georgalas
1975 Terry Clark
1974 Robin Howard
1973 Rita Curran
1972 Nancy Sotelo
1971 Adela Sotelo
1970 Barbara Bowdish
1969 Cathy Ward
1968 Debra Drummond
1967 Sue Garofola
1966 Antonia Zarrogina
1965 ?
1964 Suzanne Hunt
1963 Dorothy Langhans
1962 Lorraine Dainotti
1961 ?
1960 Joan Bieler
1959 Laurel Conlon
1958 Virginia Burling
1957 Carol Doyle
1956 Lynn Clayton  
List courtesy of wantagh.li.

By Laura Schofer

Laura Schofer, staff writer for L&M Publications, has been recognized with several awards for many of her feature pieces published in Bellmore and Merrick Life, The Citizen and The Leader.