‘Bring your dancing shoes’

Imagine prom, but for adults.

Jay County Fairgrounds is hosting its first adult prom dance from 6 to 10 p.m. March 16.

“A lot of the time, our events are kind of more family oriented,” explained Jay County Fair Board president Aaron Loy. “We thought this was a great opportunity to do something just for the adults or parents, so they could have a night out to relax and have some fun.”

The Bubp building will open at 6 p.m. March 16, offering finger foods and refreshments to prom attendees. (Alcoholic beverages will also be available to those 21 and older.) The Cold Hearts band — Portland native Andy Frantz serves as lead guitar and harmony vocals for the group — will begin playing at 7 p.m. to get the crowd moving.

Jay County Fairgrounds opened ticket sales for the event in October, drumming up interest from a number of community members over the next several months.

Originally, plans were to utilize a DJ for the evening, but fair board member Katie Loy explained they selected The Cold Hearts to utilize a local tie and pull a larger crowd. In January, the group added the fairground’s adult prom to its list of events on Facebook.

Katie Loy said a lot of the interest she’s heard for the dance stems from couples who didn’t have the opportunity to attend their school’s prom together.

“A lot of people we’re figuring out were excited because they never went to prom with their spouse because their spouse or significant other was not in the same age group,” she explained, noting she and her husband, Aaron, didn’t go to prom together in high school either.

Although it’s modeled after typical high school dances, adult prom doesn’t have a dress code. Folks are welcome to attend in casual or formal wear.

“We’ve been telling people, whatever you feel comfortable with,” said Aaron Loy. “We don’t want to set a dress code that might turn some people away. So if you want to come casual, you can, or I’ve heard some people going to renting tuxes and dresses.”

“I heard some people were even looking at renting a limo to bring them out to prom,” he added with a laugh.

As of the end of February, the fairgrounds had sold almost 100 tickets for the dance.

“We really weren’t sure what to expect, especially it being the first year, but I’m pretty impressed with that,” Aaron Loy said.

He added that he could foresee the fairgrounds offering adult prom in future years.

“I think this is something you could kind of grow into a night that parents would plan on for a night out for them,” he said. “It’s not something really common around here.”

Tickets are $25 for singles or $45 for couples and can be purchased by visiting jaycountyfair.com or in-person at the fairgrounds’ office. They’ll also be available at the door the night of the dance.

“I think it will be fun to see everybody together, just another opportunity for us to utilize our facility and put on an event for community members to enjoy,” Katie Loy said.

“Bring your dancing shoes,” added Aaron Loy.