Twice a week at 8 a.m. sharp at Railroad Park in Birmingham, seniors gather for an exercise class. Instructor Tracy Williams has a passion for this age group as she feels they are often forgotten. One day she asked a class of fifty who had gone to their proms. When only four hands went up, that’s when she knew she had to do something.
What Williams developed was a plan for a senior citizen prom.
“This is an opportunity for you to dress up in a beautiful gown or nice tux and come out and just be celebrated and feel like royalty that day,” Williams said.
Prom was a significant rite of passage for Williams. She hopes this recreation set for September 13 is an opportunity for seniors to be loved on, showcased and spotlighted in a way that they normally wouldn’t be in everyday life. While the event is catered to senior citizens, Williams said any adult who wants a prom redo can come.
“If you were 40 and you didn’t get to go to your prom, this prom for you. If you’re 38, you don’t have to be a senior,” Williams said. “If you’re 50 and do it. If you’re 36 and do it or 79 and do it. It really doesn’t matter.”
Vicky Kennedy is looking forward to that recreation and making new memories. She’s originally from the Philippines where the prom culture is significantly different. There are no showy gowns. No dates. It’s set during the day time so there is no dancing the night away.
“It’s nice over here. It’s more elaborate. Everybody has to buy this expensive gown. My experience was with my granddaughter from Carver High School. Lord, have mercy. We had to pay a lot of money for that prom dress,” Kennedy said.
Though she wore no bedazzled gown, the trend during Kennedy’s era was lace. She says it was a luxury during that time. So, her grandmother, being a dressmaker, made her a beautiful blue lace dress.
Another prom-goer Brenda Jenkins said she was a shy, timid teenager. But this time around she’s ready to dance.
“Since I have been with Tracy, my confidence level has just skyrocketed. Because I was extremely shy and apprehensive about getting on the floor and dance … I cut a rug everywhere I go now,” Jenkins said.
Williams said while the event is a chance for seniors to experience something they might have missed out on, it’s also about promoting an active lifestyle, community involvement and friendships.
Vergie Pryor Flanigan wasn’t interested in going to her senior prom years ago. She decided her parents had done enough by buying her graduation pictures, a class ring and a yearbook. She didn’t want to add the burden of making them pay for something else that she really wasn’t interested in. She’s looking forward to this event.
“I look to get an experience, you know, being at a senior prom.,” Flanigan said. “It’s not like my senior prom with the people that I went to school with. But nevertheless, it’s a senior prom, and I think I’m really going to enjoy it.”
The event will be held at the Heights Event and Entertainment Center in west Birmingham. Williams is still looking for help from covering costs to providing transportation to simply volunteering on the big day.
More information is available here.