19 Hawthorne to host adult prom

LIMA — Local photographer Dallas Castle has been working hard on an event to support a special cause and give local couples a fun night out.

Adult Prom Night will be at 7 p.m. Saturday at 19 Hawthorne, and Castle said that the 400 tickets sold helped lower costs for a coming women’s retreat that she is hosting.

“Because of the prom, we were able to lower ticket sales from $1200 to $500,” Castle said about the four-day retreat which will offer relaxation and mental health exercises. “We have 20 women coming and they only had to pay that much for four days.”

Castle said that she came up with the idea for the prom, where couples will be able to experience a grown-up version of the high school activity, with coworkers.

“It’s a way for couples to go out and have a night out to do something,” she said. “A lot of people who I work with for my job, including me and my husband, didn’t get their prom together. To host an event where couples could have a night out together with their friends and get dressed up seemed like a good time.”

DJ Lance Minnich will head music duties for the event which will feature a photo booth along with dancing.

“Because I’m a photographer, obviously, I will be taking pictures at the event, but it’s just to have fun,” Castle said. “The main purpose is to provide a better experience for another event I’m hosting.”

And for Castle, who is experienced in handling wedding duties, it was not too much of a challenge to coordinate the event.

“I work with a lot of venues anyway so it wasn’t anything too much out of my norm to work with 19 Hawthorne,” she said. “I know tons of DJs also so I don’t think it was too complicated.”

But Castle said she will be looking forward to the event on its own merits.

“I’m just looking forward to watching everybody be able to have a good time,” she said. “I love being able to add value to anybody’s day. I just want to see people have fun at an event that is a really good fundraiser to focus on women’s mental health.”

She added that she expects attendees to take full advantage of the event.

“Most couples who I work with don’t really get to have nights out like this,” she said. “To get together and get a little more dolled up than the average night out and if they want to rent limos and hotel rooms, it’s just like reliving old prom days, but as an adult.”

Tickets are sold out for the event, but Castle said that her brand Honey and Bourbon is hoping to do more events like this in the future.

Reach Jacob Espinosa at 567-242-0399.