On Saturday at 7 p.m. the Lake County Theatre Company will host the sixth annual Mr. Lake County pageant at the Soper Reese Theatre in downtown Lakeport. There are 12 contestants competing in a number of different categories, each hoping to be crowned this year’s Mr. Lake County.
The 12 contestants for this year’s pageant are David Brown, Cody Eden, Tod Elliott, Daniel Fossa, Tony Gonzalez, Nick Hogan, Mick Jones, Michael Maravich, Looch Moreno, Wess Nelson, Daniel Suenram, and Dave Sammel.
Brown is a Lakeport resident of 10 years and co-owns Suzy Q’s Donuts in Lakeport. He is the father of two and is competing for his second time. Brown said he loves this county for the people and it’s environment.
Eden is a Lucerne resident of seven years, originally from Salt Lake City Utah but as he said jokingly “Don’t hold that against me.” Eden works at Chacewater Winery, enjoys playing guitar, and is father to two children.
Elliott is a seven-year resident who works for the county and said he “has seen the best and worst of Lake County, and the best outweighs the worst.”
Fossa has resided in the county over 20 years, raising two kids and operating his backhoe business. This is Fossa’s second time competing, and he does so in hopes of raising awareness for anti-bullying.
Gonzalez lives in Upper Lake and has resided in lake for over 20 years. He has managed shows for renowned chef Guy Fieri and currently works with goats, using them to maintain vegetative growth and to prevent wildfire.
Hogan is a USMC Veteran who lives in Lakpeort and owns Red Beard Wraps. Hogan has travelled a lot and believes Lake County is one of the most beautiful places he has been.
Jonsen enjoys an early retirement from probation after having triple bypass surgery. It is his second time competing.
Maravich has lived in Lake County for 15 years and has three children. He operates as a real estate agent after retiring from pharmaceuticals and recently acted in the LCTC production of Fishwrap.
Moreno’s family owns Taqueria La Mexicana in Lakeport and also owns Sticky Pooch Events, bringing musical groups to Lake County. Moreno has has been a guest host at wrestling events as well as acted in a small film.
Nelson is divorced with two children and owns a plumbing company in Hidden Valley Lake. Nelson loves the outdoors and helping others and jokingly dubbed himself “emperor” of HVL.
Suenram is a Lake County Native born and raised in Kelseyville. He grows grapes and raises cattle, and his family owns a local catering company. This is Suenram’s third time competing.
Sammel is a retired local Spanish teacher who has lived in the county for 19 years. Sammel operates a translator service and has three children with his wife Laura, the current CEO of the Lake County Chamber of Commerce.
Participants will compete in categories like swimsuit, formal, and talent and according to LCTC program affiliate Zoe Richardson, “Women love it, and the men have fun.” Richardson also shared that the contestants always get rather creative in their performances, giving several examples one in which a contestant put up drywall for his talent while another cooked pancakes.
Every year the LCTC hosts the Mr. Lake County pageant as a fundraising event with the intended purposes of raising funds towards the building of their own theatre, as they have been renting theatre space for the past 30 years. Richardson shared “The whole purpose of this event is to raise money for our build.” The LCTC’s goal is to create a space for the group to continue their current performances and programs including Shakespeare in the Park and “Acting for Kids” on a more permanent basis.
The winner, and next Mr. Lake County, will be determined by public vote which is currently open on the LCTC website laketheatre.org. Votes are one dollar per vote and all voting closes Saturday during the event. Tickets for the event are also available via the LCTC website.
