HOPE – Many junior and seniors who attend Hauser Jr.-Sr. High School in Hope are opting for an alternative to the official Hauser prom plans set for June.
Instead, they plan to attend Hope Prom set for 8 p.m. to midnight Saturday in a recently completed industrial building at 209 Raymond St., organized by Student’s Fund of Hope.
For that night only, the empty 10,000 square foot structure will become the Indiana Custom Fabrication Ballroom. But once the prom is over, Indiana Custom Fabrication will be bringing in equipment and items for a fabrication, cutting and welding shop, as well as for offices, company president Stephanie Long said.
The event is neither sanctioned nor sponsored by the Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corp.
Due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the official Hauser prom has been postponed until June 19, Principal David Wintin said.
However, that lengthy delay won’t work for a lot of graduates and their families who will be busy with other things in June such as summer classes, jobs, farm chores and vacations, said Student’s Fund of Hope co-founder Whitney Budd.
A group consisting of several parents and sponsors have teamed up with Budd’s organization to put on their own prom, complete with music, games and prizes.
It wasn’t hard to get the building reserved for the event. Along with Budd, Long is also a co-founder and co-organizer of the Student’s Fund of Hope, created in 2018 to raise money to pay school-related expenses for Hope children from financially disadvantaged families.
The Hope Prom is open to all juniors and seniors enrolled at Hauser. Each eligible student is allowed to bring one guest age 20 and under.
Providing recorded music for the event will be Mike Asher of the Columbus-based Midnight Express Entertainment, Budd said.
Since the Student’s Fund is a co-sponsor, a decision was made to make the prom free for those who pre-register for the event. That can be done by following a link placed on the April 6 message posted on the Student’s Fund of Hope Facebook page.
However, if a student or couple decide to show up without pre-registration, they will be asked to pay $10 at the door, the social media page stated.
The mask mandate ordered by Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb expired on April 6, and a parent committee for the Hope Prom has decided that masks will be recommended, but not required, Budd said.
Organizers have taken steps to reduce their legal liability. Included with the pre-registration link on the Student’s Fund of Hope Facebook page, there is also a waiver that must be signed by any attendee 18 or over.
If the student is younger than 18, the Release of Liability and Assumption of Risk Acknowledgement must be signed by a parent or legal guardian.
This is not the first time that a group of Bartholomew County parents has found a way around a pandemic-related cancellation or postponement of a well-established event.
After the 2020 Bartholomew County 4-H Fair was canceled due to the pandemic last year, parents and sponsors rented out the Livestock Barn at the fairgrounds last July to stage the first-ever Bartholomew County Youth Livestock Expo.
Over its six-day run, the private event attracted 171 exhibitors – nearly one-third of the 687 active 4-H members in the county.
