Prom season is approaching, which brings to mind the best prom ever--the 1966 Fredonia High School prom, the prom my junior class threw together. Oh, yeah, Baby! We had decided we weren't going to mess around with one of those rinky-dink, generic themes like "Night to Remember" or "Stars in Your Eyes." No, no, no. We chose to turn the school gym into "Land of the Nile," or, if you want the alternative title, "Egypt Gone Wild."
Our band of 90+ merry guys and gals built the Great Pyramids (I think we just settled for one, actually), created our own Nile River flowing across the gym floor, and even resurrected Cleopatra from the dead, thanks to the help of the J.C. Penney's mannequin department. Someone built a sarcophagus to put inside the pyramid, which everyone walked through at the entrance. Then, we draped the entire gym with enough gauzy green cheesecloth to line all of Cairo. It was a blockbuster scenario that would have even amazed Hollywood mega-director Cecil B. DeMille, I'm sure.
Now, I wasn't handy with a saw, or hammer, or ladder, or lifting, or much of anything else, so I was put in charge of nut cups. But, mind you, they were the very best nut cups ever!! I drew a pattern for a two-part palm tree, trunk and leaves, which was traced onto green and brown construction paper. I'd say close to 200 of these little suckers were then cut out and stapled together, with a blue nut cup in the middle of the leaves. Names of the attendees were written on the tree trunks with white ink. It was genius, of course. I also helped order the special "Land of the Nile" dance cards, which were, natch, the very best dance cards ever! (If you are under 55, you are probably clueless about dance cards and the tiny pencils that were attached to them. Consider yourself, therefore, deprived of one of the finer things in life.)
My date for the big event was my railroad-riding friend, Windy, (see previous blog from March 13) He was going steady with a freshman at the time, but underclassmen were not ready to handle such a mature occasion and were forbidden, so I lucked out. He was one of the tallest guys in our class, so I could wear high heels and not have to slump over all night to look smaller than my date. I could even pile my hair up and still be shorter than Windy. Since I'd bypassed buying a class ring, $36.00 was more than my budget could afford, I went all-out for a $32.00 gown. It was pale pink, with a beaded bodice. Quite classy. When Windy walked me to his car, my younger brother and sister were outside humming the "Wedding March." We were all dressed up, ready to sail the Nile, and it was a great evening. A "Night to Remember," for sure.
---When I was a high school teacher not so long ago, I was able to tolerate the junior and senior girls in my classes as they obsessed about prom, starting right after Christmas and staggering on to April. Prom theme and evening gown catalogues were stashed in my classroom bookcase, right alongside the literary classics. I'd even sneak a peek myself, now and then. Our school has done a lot of the ho-hum prom themes, but a few stand out. A mini Eiffel Tower was erected for a Parisian theme, and my favorite was a fabulous red and gold-plated Japanese job that I personally sub-titled, "Samurai Nightmare."
For some strange reason, I can't recall why because my short-term memory is shot, Big Bore and I were talking last night about how we're both glad we're no longer teen-agers. Having to cope with the pangs of growing up is not something we want to re-live. And as much as I loved my junior prom, I would still never want to go back. Heck, I wouldn't be able to get my big toe into that pink evening gown!
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