Carraco Is Headed To New York’s Fashion Week
Javier Carraco of Water Valley won first place in his first pageant, Today’s International Man, held in New Orleans back in June. He competed at the request of his wife, Shan Carraco (left). Next week he will travel to New York as a model for Fashion Week. – Photo by Lucia Holloway
By Lucia Holloway
Herald Contributor
Singing in front of an audience was not part of Javier Carraco’s ambition in life. Fact is, he never sang at all—not even in the shower. By chance, three years ago he hired Bobby Hood and Sandra Martin to provide the evening’s entertainment at his Bruce Veracruz Mexican Restaurant.
As they were warming up their voices while adjusting the vocal equipment, Javier began humming along, then singing.
“Javier, you’re a diamond in the rough” Bobby told him. Hood suggested that with practice he could gain skills to show off his beautiful voice.
Coached by Hood and Martin, they invited him to join them in a program they were presenting at the nursing home in Calhoun City. His wife, Shan, rushed from her job at BorgWarner to hear his debut performance. When there, she found him, seated behind the stage bent down, his head in his hands.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” he told her.
She coaxed him to sing anyway. “He didn’t miss a note,” she beamed. One of the residents, Ace Cannon, known as the godfather of the saxophone, complimented his “great talent and suggested that he keep on singing”.
“If I had known that he was hearing me, I would not have been able to sing a note much less remember the words,” Javier said.
Recalling their 14 years of marriage, Shan said, “When we met, Javier barely spoke English. Combining our two cultures has required much give and take as we celebrated various holidays. We have traveled to Mexico to meet his family and now his four sons are living in the U.S., three in Branson, Missouri and one in Houston, Miss.
Born in Tuxpan Veracruz Mexico, Javier traveled all over his country from age 17 to 32, when he played defense on a semi-professional soccer team, Conejos de Tuxpan.
Next he worked on an oil rig for Pemex Oil Co. Then, his brother-in-law, who was manager of El Charo in Oxford, suggested that he come work for him.
“Considering the opportunities in the U.S., I joined them for seven years before opening my own restaurant in Bruce,” he explained.
In June, he closed the restaurant after 14 years operation and retired.
“Knowing how much I’ve enjoyed being part of pageants that he has attended with me, coaching me,”said Shan, “I suggested that now that he has retired, we find a male pageant for him to enter so that he could experience the fun I’ve had. The idea didn’t appeal to him but he said that if I really wanted him to do it, he would. However, he felt that he was safe with that promise since neither of us had ever heard of such an event.”
Fortunately, one of her friends heard of “Today’s International Man,” a pageant in New Orleans in June. They went. Over 20 contestants represented their country by modeling and presenting a talent.
“When the judges announced that Mexico’s Javier had won, many in the audience jumped to their feet applauding. It was so exciting to see him win his first pageant,” she said.
“A top model, Victoria Henley, had conducted a workshop there and invited us to be part of Magnifique Fashion Show that she was sponsoring in Bainbridge, Georgia, August 19-20. We sent measurement for clothes that we would model and Javier prepared three songs.”
“We had no idea what to expect until we arrived at the college auditorium on Saturday morning at 7. What a unique experience!” Shan said. “It was like a fast moving carrousel. There must have been 100 models in 20 show cases of designer fashion collections interspersed with four singers, operatic, country, and popular music. Clothes were flying everywhere as models rushed on stage. Our part lasted from 3:45 until midnight.”
Javier modeled ten suits and sang only two of his prepared songs because of time constraints. Not realizing that models were judged, the Carracos were thrilled when Javier was one of six models selected to appear in New York City during Fashion Week, September 7-11.
Reacting to their whirlwind activities since his retirement in June, Javier said, “Thank You Lord”. Now he sings at weddings, funerals, benefits, and fund raisers like the Watermelon Music Festival where he donated time to the Town and Country Garden Club in August. He will perform at the Down Inn & Coffee Parlor on Main Street during the Art Crawl in September and also at the Yalobusha Homemakers Club Meeting.
