Eudora’s prom is promising a fancy and elegant atmosphere this year with a new venue and theme “Night on the Town.”
The night will start at 4:30 p.m. Saturday with the annual red carpet on Main Street. Students will be able to debut their looks with a walk down the carpet until 6 p.m. If the weather is bad, the carpet will move into the auditorium of the high school.
Prom is at DeBruce Center on KU’s campus this year, right next to Allen Fieldhouse. The event will start at 8 p.m. and go until 11 p.m.
Prom adviser Katy Hayden works with a committee of students to plan the venue and theme.
DeBruce was an exciting get for the committee, Hayden said. It’s a fancy space with lots of windows and nice lighting. Colors will be gold, silver, black and white to fit the classic environment they’re going for, she said. Usually about 350 kids attend, she said.
Morgan Spencer and Will Gabel are two seniors on the committee. As their high school career winds down, both agreed this year’s theme and venue is a great way to close it out with their classmates.
“It’s the last time that we’ll all be together doing something like this,” Spencer said. “I’ve known most of these people my entire life and it’s like our last hurrah.”
It’s a night everyone goes to in Eudora, she said.
“When you’re talking about prom with people, nobody ever asks, “Are you going?” she said. “We just kind of assume.”
Since it’s the first time the event will have a DJ, it makes the event even more exciting, Gabel said. Getting to help plan the night makes it an even better experience, he said. It’s about the shared experience with their class, he said.
“I think what makes prom special is just everybody can just get together one night out of the school year, dress all fancy, and go eat a nice dinner,” he said. “It’s just something you don’t get to do every day.”
The prom king and queen will also be crowned at the event. Hayden is working to send out ballots for prom court nominees. There will be 10 included in the court.
The night doesn’t end at DeBruce, though. Students can also attend All Night Prom afterwards, even if they didn’t attend the actual dance.
Students can arrive between 11 p.m. and midnight at the middle school. There will be games, inflatables, food, poker tables, prizes and raffles.
Crystal Meier, a organizer of post-prom, has been helping to put on the event for about eight years.
“We just hope that it’s, you know, a safe environment for kids to go to after prom gets out,” she said.
It’s been a Eudora tradition for about 20 years, she estimated, and it’s a way to keep students from drinking and driving or going to parties.
There are usually 80% of the juniors and seniors at the event, she said. Donations by community members make all the fun possible.
Students cannot bring in blankets, coats, phones, food or drinks.
Committee members will call parents of those wanting to leave early, and they will be required to forfeit prizes if they leave before the event ends, she said.
The event will conclude around 4:30 a.m.
Reach reporter Sara Maloney at [email protected].
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