On the eve of Valentine’s Day, the Swinomish Elder Services team took the “senior” in “senior prom” to the letter, proving that it’s never too late to get prom-posed and twirl in pretty dresses to the sound of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.”
The second annual Elders Senior Prom, themed “Timeless Tunes,” took place Friday at the Swinomish Boys & Girls Club, where elders accepted a virtual dance challenge from the Puyallup Tribe and posed for photos behind a giant heart-shaped frame.
This was the first “school” dance for many attendees, including this year’s democratically elected royals, Steven Doutre and Doreen Vargas, who said the victory came as a bit of a surprise.
Elder Lona Wilbur demonstrates her youthful enthusiasm on the dance floor, holding her own with the younger attendees.
Perhaps not too shocking for Doutre, who after overcoming some challenges — including homelessness — feels that everything has been falling “into place” in his life, particularly after he won a turkey wishbone game against his sister on Thanksgiving.
The king and queen, who didn’t know each other prior to that night, were among a group of guests from the Lummi Nation.
Swinomish Elder Prom Queen and King Doreen Vargas and Steven Doutre from Lummi.
Elder Advocate Tashina Villaluz said the event was a way to bring the Lummi and Swinomish communities closer.
For some Swinomish folks, it was a throwback to the days when the tribe would invite members of other Pacific Northwest tribes to dance and socialize at the old American Hall on Reservation Road.
According to Archive and Records Manager Krista Hamburg, the facility was first built in 1925, then rebuilt in 1928 after a fire destroyed it in 1927. It was finally demolished in 1978 to make way for the current Social Services Building.
The hall was the scene of many meet-cutes back in the day. Among those couples were the parents of Janet Wilbur, a Swinomish elder.
Her mother, Eileen Adolph, had moved from Lillooet Nation in British Columbia to work at a berry farm in Skagit Valley. One day she went to the old American Hall, where her boss also happened to be the ticket taker. The boss took a liking to that hard-working employee and decided to take that opportunity to introduce her to her son Chas Edwards, who fell in love with the young lady.
Just as Adolph was preparing to return to her home in Canada at the end of the harvest season, Edwards sent his parents to persuade her to stay in Skagit and be with him, to which she agreed, Wilbur recounted.
Lona Wilbur, another Swinomish elder, said the hall is where her uncle met his wife, a woman from Chehalis, and where her parents hit the dancefloor.
“Our people have always loved to dance,” she said, her hair adorned with tiny white flowers like many of the other ladies in attendance.
Elder Services Director Mandy Buck said The Hair Republic — a hair salon in Mount Vernon — offered hairdos and make-up for free, while the Elder Services team helped the seniors make their corsages and took them to shop for their prom outfits.
It was a fun day for Star Jones, a Swinomish elder who missed her High School dance after becoming a mother at 15. Decades later, encouraged by her sons, she took the opportunity to get a prom makeover and join the party with her long-time friend Earl James, who even made her an extra corsage.
Though they may not dance like they used to when they were younger, Jones said she was happy to see elders enjoying themselves with bright smiles.
Some youths joined the seniors on the dancefloor, their bracelets lighting up to the rhythm of music, before the party officially transitioned to the Teen Dance at 8 p.m.
According to Charles Edwards, the unit director for the Swinomish Boys & Girls Club, the club invited teens from Swinomish and La Conner, as well as from the Tulalip, Lummi, Upper Skagit, Samish and Nooksack tribes following the Swinomish Senate’s suggestion to host an intertribal event for youths.
Edwards, who recalled participating in intertribal break-dance battles back in the 1980s, said the dance was meant to create an inclusive space where teens could feel safe and have fun.
Luisa Loi is a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News.
