Mormon prom deep in the heart of Texas

DALLAS — More than 1,000 youths from the 13 stakes surrounding Dallas got dressed up, dined and danced the night away at the Priest-Laurel LDS Prom at the famous Eddie Deen's Ranch in Dallas.Only three stakes participated four years ago when the LDS Prom first started. Since then, 10 more stakes in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex have joined, including the Weatherford Stake, which is 50 miles west of Dallas.Joanne Poulsen, of the Richardson Texas Stake and the prom's chairwoman, said that when she first started organizing the dance, stake after stake kept calling to ask if they could be included.\"The number just kept getting bigger and bigger and I started to think 'how are we going to pull this off?' \" Poulsen recalled. Priests and Laurels came from the Dallas, Richardson, Dallas East, Plano, Frisco, Allen, Lewisville, Hurst, Weatherford, Colleyville, Arlington, Carrollton and McKinney stakes for the March 13 event. The goal for the evening was to provide the youths with a wholesome atmosphere, good music and modest dress, Poulsen said.\"I have helped sponsor and chaperone several dances at our local high school and each time I left troubled and disappointed by the lack of values and standards exhibited,\" Poulsen said. \"But as I watched the bright faces of our youth, all 1,013 of them, all well groomed, dressed appropriately, dancing to music with clean lyrics and having so much fun, I couldn't help but feel the strength and goodness in the rising generation.\"Each prom ticket was $26 and included dinner, the dance, ice cream sundaes and a T-shirt. Eddie Deen's Ranch cooked up Texas barbecue with beef, chicken, sausage and all the side dishes to go with it.After dinner, Jeff Fullmer, a member of the Colleyville Stake, entertained with energetic and entertaining music that kept the priests and laurels out on the dance floor until midnight.Throughout the evening the youths could also try their cowboy and cowgirl skills with mechanical calf roping or riding a mechanical bull. Scrubs were provided for the young women to change into so they didn't have to ride the bull in their formal prom dresses. \"It was quite a sight to see these girls with their hair all curled and pulled up hanging on for dear life as they rode the bull,\" said Daphne Coles, Richardson Texas Stake Young Women president. Youths attending considered the dance a success.\"I had a really fun time,\" said Melissa Anderson, 18, a Laurel in the Arlington Texas Stake. \"This is my third year going to the LDS Prom. I look forward to going every year because every girl likes to get dressed up. It is also much cheaper than the high school prom and it is cool to go to a formal dance in Texas where the whole dance has a much higher standard.\" With only 20 Mormon kids at her high school, Anderson's favorite part of the evening was seeing area church friends. \"The dancing was fun, but it was really fun to see people I hadn't seen in a long time. It's fun to see friends that you met at other church activities and catch up and go crazy and have fun together,\" Anderson said. Poulsen hoped the sheer number of youths attending would have an impact on how strong the church is in the Dallas area.\"When you go to a high school of over 2,000 where there are only a dozen members of the church, it is nice to see that you are not alone.\" She commented that some of the youths were surprised to see how many Priests and Laurels live in the Metroplex area. The mechanical bull operator asked what group the youths were from and then said, \"I have never seen so many people having so much fun, and no one is drinking!\" As the youths left Eddie Deen's Ranch that night, they were given a T-shirt that had \"Stardust at Eddie Deen's\" printed on the back.