Women who want a prom do-over - or just a fun night to dress up and feel like a teenager again - will get their chance next weekend.
The Northwest Arkansas Mom Prom is geared toward women, moms or not, who are 21 and older.
No men are allowed except the two-dimensional celebrity cardboard cutouts, said Shannon Magsam, chairwoman of the event.
Magsam and co-chairwoman Gwen Rockwood are the founders of nwaMotherlode.com. Magsam said the mom prom is a chance to relive prom “without the teenage drama.” Rockwood said moms don’t get “very many opportunities to feel 18 years old again and be footloose and carefree.” She added that this party is a celebration of that bondwomen share.
“We joke that we won’t be checking stretch marks at the door,” Rockwood said.
The prom will include dancing, a disc jockey, food, raffle packages, a lounge area, a photo area and a red carpet, Magsam said. Upon arrival, women can take pictures with cardboard cutouts of celebrities such as Channing Tatum or Adam Levine. They will also havethe opportunity to have pictures taken by a professional photographer in front of a backdrop - all of them available for free download after the prom, Rockwood said.
The idea for a mom prom began in Michigan, and this year, there are more than 40 mom proms taking place around the country, Rockwood said.
All are connected to a local community cause, which in Northwest Arkansas is the Cobblestone Project’s Laundry Love program.
Magsam said they decided to create the local mom prom this year because nwaMotherlode is turning 5 on May 1, and they wanted to have a celebration for it that involved the community and raised money for charity. Rockwood said theychose to support the Laundry Love program with this event because they wanted
something all women and
mothers could identify with.
Moms complain about laundry since it’s a part of their everyday lives, but “the truth is we know that we’re blessed to have a washer and dryer and to be able to throw a load of clothes in whenever we want to,” she added.
Many women in the community aren’t able to do that, and their children may have to go to school in clothes that are dirty, smelly or stained if they can’t afford to go to the laundromat that week, Rockwood said.
“We feel like it’s a human dignity issue to be able to have clean clothes for your family,” she explained.
Laundry Love goes out in the community and partners with laundromats, inviting homeless people or people living in shelters to come wash their clothes for free, Rockwood said. “We just feel like it’s such a simple practical thing to do, but at the same time, it makes such a huge difference in people’s lives.”
The prom colors are orange and pink, Magsam said. Women can wear whatever they feel comfortable in and can dance in to the event. Magsam and Rockwood know some women who are getting new dresses and others who are wearing their old prom dresses. Magsam noted that the punch won’t be spiked,and food will include hors d’oeuvres by the Holiday Inn, cupcakes from Fancy Flours Cupcakery and chocolate-covered strawberries by Dojo’s Designs.
The music will be a mix of new and old songs, and “Ice Ice Baby” will be the cue for a flash mob dance, Magsam said. Women can learn the flash mob dance, a mashup of ’80s songs ending with “Firework” by Katy Perry, through a video on the event website. Zumba instructor Kelsey Lee will be leading the dance on stage.
Raffle packages will be given out throughout the evening, and tickets are $1 each, Rockwood said.
A prom queen will also be crowned. Magsam said she will be chosen at random from ticketholders, so anyone can win the prize package, a tiara, a sash and the chance to sit in the queen’s throne.
Magsam said she is looking forward to dancing.
“When do you get a chance to dance that’s not a meat market?” she said.
Rockwood said she is looking forward “just to feel like girls again.” She wants it to be a carefree, fun night for everyone and an opportunity to feel good about helping a nonprofit, she added.
GO & DO Northwest Arkansas Mom Prom When: 7 p.m. to midnight Saturday Where: Springdale Holiday Inn ballroom Cost: $35 in advance, $40 at the door; the first 300 ticket buyers will receive swag bags Why: A portion of the event proceeds will go toward the Cobblestone Project’s Laundry Love program Information: nwamomprom.
com
Northwest Profile, Pages 40 on 04/28/2013