Mr. LT returned to the Reber center on Saturday, March 16 at 7 p.m. Mr. LT is an all male pageant that started in 2014. It is an opportunity for students to showcase their unique abilities and sense of humor, and also raises money for a charity attached to it every year. 

The winner of Mr. LT receives the Jack Kunkle scholarship. Jack Kunkle was the first ever winner of Mr. LT. He suffered brain cancer and passed after his senior year, in 2014. His friends and family created this scholarship in his memory. 

“Performances vary from year to year, and one of the great things about it is that it’s not the same every year,” activities director Peter Geddeis said. “We will have contestants come back the next year and not even do the same talent.”

Some of the talents that have been showcased in previous years include dancing, singing, playing an instrument, making a pizza, and trying to drink a gallon of milk in under a minute, Geddeis said. Talents can be serious or funny.

“[Rehearsals are] a lot of practicing for the dance,” contestant Alex Edwards ‘24 said. “We spend basically every rehearsal just replaying the music and learning the choreography for our final performance so it will be as smooth as possible.” 

There was a big opening dance number that includes all of the contestants of Mr. LT, which was about 18 this year. Riley McCarthy ‘24 and Micaella Gennett ‘24 were the choreographers for the dance. 

“Choreographing the dance is so much fun because we know what will get the audience and boys excited,” McCarthy said. “I love choreographing with Gennett because we test out all our crazy ideas and end up with a really fun dance.” 

Mr. LT raised money in many different ways, Geddeis said. Participants carried around buckets collecting money. There was also an online donation site, where individuals could pick which contestant they were donating for. Whoever collected the most money won the title of Mr. Popularity. There are three winners: Mr. LT, Mr. Popularity, and Mr. Congeniality. Edwards won Mr. Popularity last year. 

“Winning Mr. Popularity was definitely an exciting experience [because] I raised the most money for the Jack Kunkle memorial scholarship fund,” Edwards said. “I knew that the work I had done advertising and asking for donations had paid off and I was going to help someone in the community who needs it.” 

Aside from winning various prizes from sponsors, such as a free show from the LaGrange theater, the contestants can gain much more from participating in Mr. LT, Geddeis said.

“I think there’s just an intangible sense of having entertained the community, having done some good for a charity, and for a lot of students having put themselves out there,” Geddeis said. “It’s fun to see some of these guys come out of their shell, from where they start at the beginning of the rehearsal period to presenting it to a full Reber Center.”

Click the QR code to find out who won the 2024 Mr. LT and view photos from the event.