Mr. Seal Beach becomes Mr. California USA

In its second year, the pageant accepts contestants from all over the state

SEAL BEACH In an effort to get greater recognition for donations and its charities, the Mr. Seal Beach pageant this year became the Mr. California USA pageant.

Now, contestants from all over the state are eligible for the competition, which in its inaugural year last year only accepted males from within a 30-mile radius of Seal Beach.

Sarah Ahmadinia, founder and director of the pageant, said the name change of the May 17 event came after she noticed problems with promoting last year's competition.

"Through the year what I noticed is when [the winners] were carrying their local title, they weren't getting as much support as I thought they should," Ahmadinia said. "The new name kind of gives us a larger area to draw from."

Twelve people competed Saturday night in the Martha B. Knoebel Dance Theater on the Cal State Long Beach campus. Males ages 5 to 25 were eligible for the pageant that included formal- and casual-wear events, a rock 'n' roll opening number, on-stage questions and an optional talent showcase.

The judges crowned Jeremy Buraglia, a 21-year-old U.S. Army sergeant from Seal Beach, as Mr. California USA, a title that comes with a $1,000 scholarship. Los Angeles resident Kennith Salazar, 14, received the title of Mr. Teen California USA and a $750 scholarship.

Nine-year-old Bernard Raminfard, of Los Alamitos, got the title of Jr. Mr. California USA. R.J. Horvatin III, a 7-year-old from Seal Beach, is the new Little Mr. California USA. Both boys got $400 scholarships.

The pageant requires winners to make charity-work plans in their hometowns and to do work at some Seal Beach-area charities supported by the pageant, such as the Special Olympics, the Children's Hospital of Orange County and Relay for Life.

Ahmadinia said that by using the name Mr. California USA when soliciting donations for the pageant, she had much more success than last year because of the more universal name. She said she hopes this year's winners will have a similar experience when doing their personal charity work.

There is no nationwide contest yet for the first-ever Mr. California USAs to advance to.

Contact the writer: 714-445-6695 or ldavis@ocregister.com

(LINK TO ARTICLE AT:  http://www.ocregister.com/articles/year-beach-california-2048075-pageant-seal)