Senior citizens get ready for prom night at WMUMarch 15, 2010 KALAMAZOO--Area senior citizens will be celebrating prom night for the 22nd consecutive year when they gather from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, March 18, in the Bernhard Center's East Ballroom on Western Michigan University's main campus in Kalamazoo. The University's annual Senior Prom is a fun-filled, nostalgic evening that brings hundreds of senior citizens together with WMU students, faculty and staff for a night of Big Band music and swing and ballroom dancing. Members of the general public are welcome to attend this semi-formal event. No reservation is necessary. Admission is free, as is parking in the nearby parking ramp--Parking Structure No. 1. For the 2010 Senior Prom, dubbed "A Black Tie Affair," attendees are invited to dress to the nines and hit the red carpet in style for a trip back to old-time Hollywood. Music will be provided by the Otsego Jazz Band. In keeping with previous years, the evening will include dance contests, prizes, free refreshments and photo keepsakes. The Senior Prom began in 1988 as a way for older WMU alumni and area residents to share an evening of fun and reminiscing with current students. The event gradually grew in popularity, and last year, it attracted some 500 senior citizens and members of the University community. Students traditionally prepare for the event by teaming up with senior citizen tutors in mid-March to learn the fox trot, waltz, Lindy and other dance steps popular in the 1940s. The seniors also are able to brief the novice dancers in such areas as hairstyles and fashions of the period. The Draper-Siedschlag and Ernest Burnham-Smith Burnham residence halls are organizing the prom with the help of several committees and scores of volunteers. Local businesses are again donating prizes, and financial assistance is being provided by such WMU organizations as the Western Student Association, Residence Hall Association and Office of Residence Life. For more information, contact Raymond Lader, Draper-Siedschlag Hall director, at raymond.lader@wmich.edu or (269) 387-4790. Media contact: Jeanne Baron, (269) 387-8400, jeanne.baron@wmich.edu WMU News |
