My dad came to my prom. Granted, he only stayed to take pictures, but still…
I wore a floor-length purple sequined dress that was far too big for me, easily rendering my barely-there breasts invisible. My boyfriend picked me up in his dad's rocking Camaro, and gave me a rather hideous—I loved it at the time—gigantic purple and white wrist corsage.
My prom was just okay. We drank punch (unlaced), danced to Journey and Sir Mix A Lot, and had a very chaste and sober evening.
However, after talking to a few colleagues and friends, the fact that I had at least attended that rite of passage, and with a date, no less, gained new importance.
I discovered that many people didn't attend their prom (and some certainly don't regret abstaining from that particular high school tradition).
"Prom was so lame," say some of my old friends. "Only the cheerleaders and their jock boyfriends went."
"I went to boarding school, man," said my colleague. "We didn't even have a prom."
"I didn't have a date," said a new acquaintance. "I wasn't about to go alone."
Whatever the reason, a lot of people didn't go to their prom—or anyone else's. Thanks to local thespian, musician and restaurant worker Peter Scibak, everyone over the age of 21 has a second chance this prom season. But this time, the prom boasts a cash bar (no sneaking off to the bathroom to shoot nips bought by someone's big brother), and DJ Chris Bigelow from Cloud 9 productions spinning a repertoire of standard "prom fare" as well as current dance songs—a far cry from that weird band the student council president hired back in the day. No word on whether anyone's getting lucky this time around or not.
Scibak took time out of his busy tuxedo-renting, streamer-hanging schedule to discuss his motivation for throwing this adult prom.
Valley Advocate: Did you go to your own prom in high school?
Scibak: I went to multiple proms and formals throughout high school. I went to South Hadley High, where we had winter cotillions as well as proms, and I attended those. I also went to Pioneer Valley Performing Arts High School, and there they only threw a junior and senior prom, but I was at both of those as well.
Were they good experiences for you?
Even though I am a lousy dancer, I always had fun dressing to the nines. Prom was always an experience that I felt I would be missing out on if I hadn't attended. Some of my favorite memories of my teenage years occurred at a formal dance.
How serious are you about people dressing up for this prom?
Although I would love to have everyone show up in tuxedos and gowns, I realize that isn't feasible. Essentially, we're asking people to "dress to impress" and then interpret that as they see fit. I am hoping that few people show up in jeans and T-shirts.
What inspired you to throw this event?
I had tossed the idea around in my head for the past couple of years. To my knowledge, there hasn't been an event like this open to the general public in this area. However, the logistics of it never quite clicked. I wasn't aware of a good, local place to hold it; I was never sure if I could convince people to come; and I had no idea how much an event like this would actually cost. A few months back, the concept came to me again as I was listening to some Journey ballad. I approached a few friends and jokingly asked them if they would attend such an event. The response was overwhelmingly positive. So I began looking into the particulars of throwing a prom and realized it could be done. Things began to just fall into place from there.
At many proms in high school, only the "cool kids" went. How would you like this prom to be different?
After talking to lots of people about this, I learned that many of them did not attend their prom. I realize that there is some sort of stigma regarding proms—they are exclusive to an extent. The joy of holding a formal dance outside of the boundaries of high school is that it enables people to have the good time they may not have had the first go-round.
Is this a prom for everyone who has never gone to one?
Must it be either/or? I hope that people who didn't attend their prom won't be turned off to the idea of attending this one. I also hope that this will come off as a fun-time party for all who show up.
You're crowning a king and a queen. Is that going to be a popularity contest or are the crowns going to be awarded for merit?
We're having open nominations at the actual dance. At a particular point in the night, we'll call all nominees to the front of the stage and people will vote by round of applause. I guess, in a sense, this could be construed as a popularity contest, but, seeing as how the event is open to the public, there really isn't a "cool kid clique" to sweep the votes.
Any chance you're going to make this an annual event?
That was always the plan.
The Prom is being held on Sun., May 25 at the World War II Club Banquet Hall (in the back of the main club), from 8 p.m. to midnight. $5-10/suggested donation; no one will be turned away for lack of funds. The event is 21-plus. Email boognish26@gmail.com for more information.
