There was no such thing as prom when 94-year-old Cora Obermiller was a child, attending country school in St. Martin.
So when her daughter, Denise Kapphahn, heard about the “Back in Time” prom that youth from four area parishes were hosting April 23 for the age 55-plus crowd at St. Peter Church in St. Cloud, she signed the two of them right up.
“Everything is so beautiful,” Obermiller said as she scanned the transformed gym decorated in streamers, balloons and old vinyl records. She has been a member of St. Peter’s for more than 60 years.
“This is just wonderful,” Kapphahn added. “For the older generation, the music, the camaraderie with people their age is so special. But I think it is really fun for my mom to see these young kids out there dancing. We have to keep the young people engaged and connected with church activities. This kind of fun thing really helps.”
The idea for the event surfaced at the St. Cloud Diocese’s Senior High Youth Rally held last October, when keynote speaker Steve Angrisano mentioned that he had heard of a group hosting a “senior prom” for senior citizens.
“The group of youth I had with me at the rally jumped at the idea,” said Nikki Walz, youth coordinator for the parishes of St. Michael in St. Cloud and St. Joseph in Waite Park. “They were really excited about the prospect, so I promised I’d look into it and we ran with it.”
When Walz decided to host this event, she mentioned it to her sister, Tricia Walz, who is the youth activities coordinator at the twinned parishes of St. Peter and St. Paul in St. Cloud. After talking with both clusters, they decided to host the event at St. Peter and invite all four parishes.
“For me personally, just seeing it come together was such a blessing,” Tricia Walz said. “To see how into the dancing and decorating that the youth got as well as how much fun and how happy the seniors were [and] seeing people come out of the woodwork to help was so rewarding. You never know how a new event will go over, but I am so thankful that we did it and that it went as well as it did.”
Bridging the generation gap
About 80 seniors, 35 youth volunteers and 20 adult volunteers were involved in the prom, which included a catered meal followed by dancing to polka music by Nathan’s Oldtime Band.
When guests arrived, Cathedral High School senior Daniel Silkman, a youth volunteer from St. Joseph Parish in Waite Park, escorted them to the entrance of the gym. As prom-goers entered, they posed under a lighted archway where a photographer captured their pose. Later a prom king, Jim Tembrock, and a prom queen, Dottie Liszka-Vowles, were crowned.
Apollo freshman Allison Laudenbach, a member of St. Michael’s, was one of the youth volunteers who helped fill water glasses and clear dishes from the tables. Later, she invited senior guests to dance with her.
“This is just a really fun way for us to get know who they are, and they can know who we are so we can communicate better in our community,” she said.
Though the night was filled with waltzes, polkas and a few daring folks who attempted the four-person schottische, a greater dance was taking place in the hearts of the multi-generational attendees.
“Seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces, both the seniors and youth alike, was by far the greatest reward of hosting this event,” Nikki Walz said.
Both Walzes hope that stronger relationships were formed between generations.
“We think it’s important to bring different generations together because each generation has so much to teach and so much to learn, and the more we can offer opportunities for those two populations to interact the more we can see the fruits of what each has to offer,” Nikki Walz said.
“I hope that the youth can start to recognize the seniors at Mass and talk with them, building relationships from what was started at the prom,” she added. “I also hope that they’ll be more comfortable with helping out the elderly, such as visiting nursing homes and doing yard work, especially for those who haven’t had many experiences of being with the senior population. I hope both generations can continue to recognize how much they have in common.”