Going back in time
ZELIENOPLE — For one night, a group of local seniors was taken back in time to when they were high school students attending prom.
Seniors from the community enjoyed the first Senior Citizen Prom at Harmony-Zelienople United Methodist Church the night of May 22.
The event was organized by members of the church who thought it would be a fun event and a way to reminisce about when the prom attendees were young, said Pat Diemert, one of the organizers.
The prom included dinner, music, dancing, the crowning of a king and queen and a time to share prom memories from when the guests were in high school. Dinner was catered for free by two members of the church, Don and Donna Weyman.
Delmont Rush, 91, said he was excited to go to the event because he was never able to go to a prom while growing up in Waynesburg during the Great Depression.
“Where I come from, none of the kids went to prom, just the affluent kids were able to go,” Rush said. “We didn't even have the money to rent a couch back then.”
In traditional prom fashion, Rush came to the event dressed in a tuxedo and presented his date, Elaine Cahall, with a corsage.
During the time to share stories, some of the seniors related memories from their prom nights about mishaps with dresses, hair and cars. Several people also recalled an old tradition where groups of prom attendees would sneak into a morgue after the dance was over.
Attendee Tom George Sr. acted as a de facto emcee and encouraged people to come and share whatever they could remember about their past prom experiences.
“I'm sure we all had fun tonight remembering what happened back then. We might not have been as old or as competent, or incompetent in some cases, but it is fun to remember,” George said.
