Today, some of Spokane’s favorite seniors — members of the Mid-City Concerns Senior Center — will celebrate their fourth annual prom.
Richard, a member of the center and decorator extraordinaire, has been working over the past couple of weeks to decorate the center with a Mardi Gras theme. The budget for decorations came directly from the donations from members of the center, Richard said. Last year, however, he paid for all of them out of pocket. Richard, now 70, was 55 when he first became a Mid-City Concerns member and has been decorating for holidays like Christmas, Easter and Halloween ever since. Scaling ladders and decorating the center for each special occasion is something he enjoys the most. “It makes me happy to see people enjoy the decorations,” he said. By 10 a.m. yesterday, Richard had most of the decorations up as he awaited Rebecca and Jolene, the daughter and granddaughter of another member, to arrive to help with balloons and table cloths. They normally help with bingo, but offered their time to help set up for prom, too. Since the last prom was also Mardi Gras themed, Richard was able to use his budget to make the decorations more elaborate. All of the tables will have purple cloths draped over them with purple flowers and tea lights at the center. “It’s going to look good,” Richard said. Sue Hines of Personal Touch Florals, who recently helped raise money for MOW Spokane through a Mother’s Day fundraiser, donated mini bouquets, boutonnieres and corsages for the prom. Her volunteer group Petals for Peace helped to put all of the arrangements together. At 10 a.m., local classic rock band Diminishing Faculties will begin performing as seniors adorned with masks dance, take photos and enjoy donated snacks amid strobe lights and hanging streamers. The band performs at the center monthly and the lead singer’s mother is a member. Fridays are usually the center’s busiest day, with around 45 seniors coming for lunch, Senior Center Manager Juli Adams said. Members from the recently closed down Silver Cafe senior center were also invited and several have already RSVPed they are going, she added. Partway through the band’s set, two prom kings and two prom queens will be crowned from a random drawing. Richard is especially excited for their crowning, as the crowns themselves have seen an upgrade this year. The festivities won’t interrupt daily lunch, which will be served as usual at 11:30 a.m. with an extra dash of joy.
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