RED BAY | Angie Raper is living a dream right now and come November 12 that dream will see her competing in the Mrs. American Pageant in Las Vegas.
Raper, of Red Bay, was crowned Mrs. Alabama American 2021 this past weekend at the event held in Pell City, Ala. She was one of nine contestants vying for the crown.
“It was the time of my life,” Raper said. “(Winning the crown) was very much unexpected. I am still shocked. When they announced my name, before they finished my name, my mouth fell open. I’m a little tall so I had to squat down so they could get the crown on me. The other girls were smiling and that means the world to me.”
In addition to being selected Mrs. Alabama American 2021, Raper also won the Mrs. Congeniality award. That award is voted on by the contestants and is based upon attributes such as kindliness and friendliness.
“That’s my favorite award,” Raper said. “It’s a wonderful feeling to have them call your name (for the congeniality award) and you look back and all the other girls are smiling.”
The competition opened with all contestants dressed the same and stepping to a musical beat. It then moved into the swimwear competition, then to eveningwear, with the final part of the contest being an interview by the judges.
Raper, who works in the final finish department at Sunshine Homes, said the judges – and even the pageant director – were stunned when they learned she worked in the manufacturing sector.
“The director of the pageant said I was the first queen in her 30 years that came from labor production,” Raper said. “That meant a lot to me. It gives me a chance to stand up for the other women who are in the workforce who often get overlooked.”
The judges were particularly interested to learn about Raper’s work, asking such questions as how to operate a blow torch. It was when they asked her about her guitar, a prized possession, that she couldn’t really give them an answer.
“I said, ‘I only have 30 seconds left so I can’t even begin to tell you all about it,’” Raper said.
Overcoming great odds
Raper said this year’s field may have been reduced in size due to COVID, but that likely served to make it more challenging.
“(The other competitors) were just beautiful, lovely girls who were serious about what they were doing and had prepared for a long time and had competed for many years,” said Raper, who hasn’t competed in a pageant since 2013. “I have so much respect for these ladies. By the end of the pageant, we were like family.”
The fact that Raper is able to compete at all is a miracle. The wife of Dennis Raper and the 30-year-old mother of two children – August, 7, and Mollyanna, 10 – was nearly killed in a horrendous car wreck in Red Bay in 2013, just one week after she had competed in the Mrs. Alabama competition then and where she won third alternate and the Mrs. Congeniality award. Raper said the wreck was so bad medical crews lost her twice, she required brain surgery, and then, when doctors, thought she had a chance to make it, they advised her family to prepare for her having severe brain damage. However, she made a dramatic recovery and roughly two months later Raper left the hospital.
“God saw fit to keep me here and I’m so, so thankful,” Raper said.
Having participated in the Mrs. Alabama competition in the past, Raper remained interested in pursuing it again and applied in July 2021 to enter the contest. Now, after this weekend’s win, she’s preparing for the national competition in less than four weeks in Las Vegas. The competition itself doesn’t bother her. The travel, though, is another matter.
“I’m terrified to fly,” Raper said. “I’ve never been farther west than Arkansas or farther north than Kentucky.”
Raper is required to sell an ad page in the program for the national competition and is seeking sponsors for that page. Businesses or individuals who are interested in helping her can email her at astanford111@gmail.com.
The national Mrs. American competition will be livestreamed. In the past the program has aired on the Oxygen channel, but it is not clear at this time where or if it will be broadcast on TV.
On Monday, Raper’s friends and coworkers at Sunshine Homes showered her with attention and praise for her win.
“They have told me congratulations and hugged my neck all day long,” Raper said. “I have the best support network around.”
