Spring Fling student dance comes off without a hitch—just kidding

 

HOME STRETCH...Town of Webb Seniors celebrate their school's annual Spring Fling at View. Photo by Michele deCamp

HOME STRETCH…Town of Webb Seniors celebrate their school’s annual Spring Fling at View. Photo by Michele deCamp

 

Last weekend, the Town of Webb UFSD held their annual Spring Fling dance. As Student Council President, it was customary that I oversee the decorations and organization. Student Council as a whole, in fact, runs the dance and tries to make it a memorable experience for all the high school students choosing to attend.

The weeks leading up to the dance are a flurry of phone calls, tuxedo fittings, officers’ meetings, flowers, and online shopping. Do not pity me—the work is divided between all four Student Council officers and the teacher-adviser.

Town of Webb UFSD seniors, Austin Down and Sarah Branch, were named King and Queen for the school's Spring Fling, which took place last weekend in Old Forge. Photo by Michele deCamp

Town of Webb UFSD seniors, Austin Down and Sarah Branch, were named King and Queen for the school’s Spring Fling, which took place last weekend in Old Forge. Photo by Michele deCamp

But as the dance, scheduled for June 1st, approached, I became increasingly aware of how unprepared we were. We sold more tickets than we had expected—87. Although child’s play for anyone reading from out of town, 87 is a serious number in a K-12 school that totals about 280!

The dance was to be held at View, the local arts center, which so generously allowed us to use their beautiful facilities for free. Unfortunately, a small case of “Senioritis,” notorious for claiming the work ethic of 2nd semester seniors, overcame the President, and communication with the staff at View was insufficient. Also affected by the lack of communication was our florist for the event, Mountain Greenery. I went into last Saturday with a loose idea of what was going to happen that night.

Because of this poor organization, these people had every right to ignore my dilemma. But they chose not to. Thanks to Kate Russell from Mountain Greenery and Tony Thornton, Stephen Wick, and Nicholas , Saturday’s was the one of the best school dances I have ever attended.

When asked what the color scheme was, all I had to say was “I don’t know,” and our dance ended up with beautiful matching tablecloths, paper lanterns, and flower centerpieces.

As teenage boys showed up in the afternoon to help set up, a busy View staff was already preparing Gould Hall for the dance, with several helpful tips and tricks to make our dance the best possible.

We could not have pulled off such a successful Spring Fling without the help of these community-minded people. And although the example is very specific here, I have no doubt that it applies to the rest of Old Forge, Inlet, and surrounding communities.

Countless adults and children would not think twice if put in the same situation. They would step up and offer their time and effort, free of charge, to make the event as successful as possible.

I have been asked, “What is different about Old Forge?” Many believe it is the mountains that are unique to the area: “No where else like that on Earth,” one man once exclaimed to me in Florida.

Although this may be true, it is our Central Adirondack community that I will remember forever. We are a tourist town, and our town has formed a belief that we must be cohesive to be successful in this role. But it is not simply an economic strategy—it is sincere.

Our community is what makes Old Forge the place to grow up in. I would not trade my time here for anything, and I have come to learn that it is the people, not the place, that makes it so great. We should be proud.

As we grow, we grow together. And because of our growth as a community, there really is no where else like here on Earth.

You can follow Colin Criss on Twitter @ADKCurrent

 
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