University House - "Promcoming" 2009

For most, prom is a once-in-a-lifetime experience in which inhibitions are shed, first times are had and cheeziness is exemplified to the max. But with all the possibilities for fun and down-the-road laughs, is it fair for formal dances to be left in the dust of our high school yearbooks?

Steve Goonen, a business student and special event planner at University House - 13th Street doesn't think so. Every winter break, he and his high school friends have an annual reunion in the form of a "Promcoming" event. "We just had so much fun in high school," he says.

Last night, he let Gainesville in on the fun, as University Houses hosted Promcoming 2009 in it's clubhouse.

The night was a success as girls dressed to the nines with empire-waist gowns, fake nails, too-orange spray tans, and corsages. The guys were a bit more modest in their choices of slacks, button downs and ties. Unfortunately, no coat tails, top hots or cummerbunds were spotted.

In true prom fashion a photo booth was set up, complete with a starry-Gator-night backdrop. INsite provided camera direction to ensure the pictures were as legit as possible. The train? The awkward crooked gaze? Oh yea, we went there.

The DJ alternated the music selection between current hip hop beats, for those with more recent prom experiences, and some old-school tracks for those of us from earlier graduating classes. Gotta love the Ace of Base!

The food selection was better than you would expect from a prom. Cookies, cakes, a dozen mixers. The addition of alcohol was a non-prom sanctioned extra we were more than willing to accept. Word on the street is that someone even spiked the punch. Sorry mom. But, thankfully, the party was shut down by the GPD before we started crashing the football field and booking hotel rooms -- apparently, some people had an early morning exam.

Steve hopes Promcoming will become an annual event that will continue even after he is gone. We welcome any event that lets us put rhinestones in our hair and pretend we're 17 again.

—Stephanie Granada
Photos: Sean Kelly