MEMORY LANE

Forget what is shown in the movies - glitz, glamour and expensive venues – nothing beats a small town high school prom. And the lengths some went to in order to make it a special night prove it is not about the money spent, but the memories made. For many, prom was the first "dress up like an adult" affair, the first time in high heels, the first time borrowing the family car, or the first time not having a before-dark curfew.

A lack of open salon seats locally had many young ladies doing each other's hair and nails. With frugal ingenuity reigning for most, there wasn't any shame in acquiring a secondhand dress and having it tailored locally or getting creative with safety pins. One young lady took her sewing savvy 4-H skills to fabricate her own dress, "I always borrowed dresses, except my Junior year in '98," shared Joanne Burk, who was taken to formals all four years by her now-husband Ryan Burk. "I made the dress for my brother's wedding, sported it at the dance and wore it to state congress. I got a lot of mileage out of that dress."

There has also been plenty a young man who smiled in their prom pictures with a suit that belonged to their father, a little oversized with shoulders a bit too wide. "My first two proms I borrowed dresses," shared Tamra Weltz of her Red Devil formals in Noxon, "the next year I bought a dress from my friend and my senior year I went all out and spent good money at Bon Marche in Missoula."

With a shortage of seating and formal options for dinner in the area, many couples throughout the years have opted to take their party out of town and return for the dance – and while a two-hour drive can wreak havoc on carefully done hair, it never stopped anyone from getting down to boogie. "We went to Sandpoint and ate at the Golden Dragon," said Erika Carter, who later married her 2003 Thompson Falls prom date, Sam. She laughed that it is still one of their favorite places to eat, "We were also shopping for wedding rings, since our plans to wed were set for that June."

Burk had a memorable dinner as a freshman, as Ryan cooked up a meal just for her.

"It was the first time I had tasted chocolate covered strawberries – and the rest of the food was made from scratch. He went all-out." She said she vaguely remembered a dinner at the Rimrock in Thompson Falls one year, as well as the Naughty Pine in Trout Creek.

Dave Falk graduated from Thompson Falls in 1965, went on to marry his prom date, Ina. He recalled that in those days, what is now Minnie's Café housed Brock's Ice Cream. "I don't remember where us couples went to eat every year, but I do know that one year we went to the St. Regis cutoff to what is now Quinn's for dinner. The Hereford was another place people went for something out of town but not too far," Falk shared. He acknowledged the struggle many boys went through to find a suit that fit, since tuxedo rentals were out of the question, "I was lucky to have my suit from church and was able to show up in my Sunday best." Falk recalled that vinyl records of the latest releases were played for couples to dance to, and that there weren't any party-poopers for the event, "everyone was excited to go to the dances, it was a pretty big deal."

Carter recalled that whoever was DJ for the evening of her prom did a phenomenal job, "Everyone was dancing, including teachers and chaperones – and when the Cha Cha Slide came on the entire junior high gym was moving!" Vivid in her mind was the rug-cutting antics of teacher Doug Padden (fans of Padden's moves acknowledge he is more graceful when partnered with his wife, Karla), as well as Ginny Dyer taking tickets at the door. Carter noted school counselor Shelly Lovell acted as the 'Mom for Prom.' Prepared for any disaster, big or small, she took to mending ripped dresses or assisting in removing punch stains. "It was an amazing, fun night," Carter shared, "the absolute best prom I have ever attended."

Pamela Brown met her husband when she was in eighth grade, he was a junior. She recalled going to prom in Noxon with a friend who didn't have a date her junior year. "Couples went to Hope or Sandpoint for dinner," Brown shared, "friends and family helped with makeup and hair." Her husband Zane's school days only overlapped her high school days for one year, and dances weren't really their thing, but she was happy to help out that friend who couldn't find a date. And the family's Noxon tradition moves on as Zane's parents attended Noxon, as well as he and Pamela, and their children, and now their grandchildren – making this round of family the fourth generation to tout Red Devil spirit.

Currently together for 13 years, Nate and Natasha Pavlik were joined by friends Jason York and Heather Lyons for dinner at Quinn's, a little closer to home. This year they will have been married for 10 years and have two children aged six and four. Their 2007 Thompson Falls prom was another for the record books. Also together 13 years are Corey and Alysha Franck, who were at the 2007 prom (they've been married for 11 years this year).

Tamra Weltz went on to marry the graduated boy who was her date her senior year and the proms prior. While the prom dresses may have been lost to history and the name of the dance DJ forgotten, the flame is still alive for these couples who began as high school sweethearts.

Another aspect of the unforgettable high school formals are the decorations and themes. A Night in Paris, A Walk in the Park, Heaven on Earth are just a few examples, and the sheer amount of tacks, tape, tulle and Christmas lights used over the decades throughout the county could be laid end to end to form a very fancy fence around the county of Sanders – twice. Maybe. Planning on the part of the student council of the day went into effect the night before. Although Burk recalled being on a setup crew, her memory couldn't pull up whether it was stressful or fun, "All I remember was that it was the junior class's job to take care of decorating."

Falk remembered the days before the construction of the current high school, "We held our dances in what is now the junior high gym. The people in charge of decorations always did a great job." Falk admits he doesn't remember many of the little details from the formal dances, but the feeling of excitement is unforgettable.

A glance through Falls yearbooks of the past found pages entitled "Junior Prom." It often involved a banquet, as well as an awards ceremony a few times. Some of the pictures of royalty being crowned called for a second look and a reading of the cutline. The junior class president was crowning the queen and appeared to be leaning in for a kiss, and the text noted that the crowning kiss was tradition. No one interviewed for this article had any recollection of any such tradition, although it was pictured more than once.

Entertainment was booked, bands from out-of-county were hired, or student-formed bands performed to fill the gyms with music for dancing. Over the years songs by Glenn Miller and Elvis gave way to Crimson and Clover... over and over – just ask the class of '68. The rock of that time aged into 'classic rock' and ushered in the hairbands and glamrock of the eighties, followed by the hip hop revolution of the 90's (Macarena and I Like Big Butts, anyone?). Weltz remembered the 1991 theme of When I'm With You, which was also a hit song written by the Canadian power ballad band, Sheriff, played at the dance to the delight of the 'in crowd.'

Since leaving high school behind, some have gone on to chaperone at the dances of their children, "Myself and Tess Tessier chaperoned once – six or seven years ago – it was a time when rowdy 'mosh pits' were a big thing," Weltz shared. She recalled that the mosh pits made the observant job of a chaperone complicated, as whatever was happening in the middle couldn't be seen and those on the outside had no desire to risk their safety by joining the fray. "It isn't really an experience I'd care to repeat, but its my daughter's junior year so I may get roped into it," Weltz joked.

The feeling of prom as a student attendee of the magical night is a celebration of that present moment, the musical hits that were so influential and the friends that you'd never forget or lose touch with. But hindsight is 20/20. As a general rule, the event is remembered with fondness, but the photo evidence of the whims and styles of the times are the object of laughter and snickers from the current 'younger crowd.' But those mocking will have their day, years down the road, when some young whippersnapper digs out an old picture to poke some fun at the hair, or the pants, or the music of that special night for energetic students whose youth would never fade.