The venue for the 2016 Greene County prom is now in the hands of those who will attend. The Greene County board of education at its Nov. 23 meeting approved moving the prom from the Elks lodge to the Greene Room Events Center at Wild Rose Casino. The banquet preceding prom will also move from the First United Methodist Church fellowship hall to the Greene Room.
Junior class advisor Teresa Green reported to the board that she and superintendent Tim Christensen had met with Wild Rose CEO Tom Timmons and Wild Rose’s event coordinator Ginger Burrell after the October board meeting. Although the Wild Rose properties in Clinton and Emmetsburg do not host high school proms, Timmons okayed the event for Wild Rose Jefferson. He asked Green to be clear, though, that the first inquiry came from the school, that Wild Rose did not solicit the event.
According to Green, the banquet and prom have both outgrown their traditional locations. Nearly 200 students attended the events. The banquet was very crowded and the dance floor at the Elks wasn’t large enough. “All these people have been really good to us. I just feel like we’ve outgrown the facilities,” Green said.
There is added expense in using the Greene Room rather than the Elks, but Green said that will be offset by not needing to decorate for both the banquet and that dance. The cost of a buffet at the Greene Room is expected to be only a little more than the sit-down dinner at the Methodist Church. Green sees a big advantage as being on a decreased need for parent volunteers. She hopes parents will be more willing to help with the after prom party if they aren’t also being asked to help with the banquet.
The students will still have a grand march open to the community. The parent committee is exploring holding the grand march on the courthouse plaza, Green said. The march will precede the banquet so that once students arrive at Wild Rose, they won’t leave again until after prom. There is virtually no way a students would be able to access the gaming floor, Green explained. The casino would incur a $10,000 fine and the student would be charged with trespass, Timmons told her.
Green has checked dates with the Elks for the school’s winter formal as a way to support that group.
Board members Teresa Hagen, Ashley Johnston, David Ohrt and John McConnell voted for the change in venue; Sam Harding and Mark Peters voted against. Board member Susan Burkett was absent.
Green plans to survey juniors and seniors; if they vote in favor of the Greene Room as the prom venue, the event will be moved there. Prom is slated for April 9.
