Herndon and Reston residents were able to relive the glory days of high school for the second year during the Senior Senior Prom last weekend.
Hosted by Herndon and Reston Rotary clubs, the event was held at St. Joseph's event hall in Herndon and provided everything from dancing partners to the naming of a prom king and queen.
"Last year we had a wide range of attendees," said Pat Williams, former Herndon Rotary president. "We invited everyone 50 and up."
In addition to giving "seniors" the chance to get dressed up and celebrate, Williams said the event also included refreshments, corsages, photograph opportunities — just like a high-school prom, live music and volunteers willing and able to act as dance partners to those who needed a hand.
"The rotary clubs wanted to do something for the seniors in the community," said Williams about the reasoning behind the prom. "We just want them to have a lot of fun and have no worries, let us take care of them."
Citing some of the experiences from last year, Williams said she remembered one woman who was sitting by herself at a table looking somewhat unhappy.
When Williams asked the woman if she was having a good time, the woman said she was closing her eyes and reliving her high school prom.
Recalling another story, Williams said a woman confessed to the male caregiver she was dancing with that she hadn't danced in 40 years.
While another woman, when asked to dance said she could not because she needed a walker to walk.
"The caregiver said, you don't need the walker, you can hang on to me," said Williams. "It really meant much more than we ever imagined it would mean."
This year, the king and queen both hailed from Reston with
Louise Caprio from Hunters Woods Fellowship being named queen and Bill Jarrell, from Reston Assisted Living, named king.