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Sweetheart Dance takes over KC Hall
Washington County 4-H hosts youth focused ‘Me & My VIP’ Sweetheart Dance
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
WASHINGTON — KC Hall was turned into a dance hall this past weekend as Washington 4-H County Council hosted a “Me & My VIP” Sweetheart Dance where youth in kindergarten-4th grade and their adult VIP (Very Important Person) attended.
“[It’s] one of our favorite events of the year because you get to see kids just light up to have a special night all about them and for them,” 4-H & Youth Coordinator Amy Green said of the Sweetheart Dance.
A total of 105 couples attended this year. Kids were accompanied to the dance by parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, or other caring adults in their lives.
An annual party that started back in 2015, this dance originated as a father-daughter event but it has been adjusted over the years to apply to all families.
“It's so fun to watch, because you have some kids who come with their parent or adult and they don't want to leave their side,” Green said. “And then you have some kids who see their friends and then zoom, they're off, and they're having a great time with their friends. It's an event that works for both kinds of kids.”
A previous hosting site for this dance was in the basement of the 4-H building on the fairgrounds but more space was needed and KC Hall was chosen as a new bigger venue to accommodate the increasing interest in the event.
“The KC Hall is a perfect size for what we have going on,” Green said of the dance being hosted in its new venue.
A lot of the manpower that went into making this event come to life was handled by the 4-H high school leadership team. From setting up the decorations, to serving the food, to clean up and even hitting the dance floor.
“Really thankful to have those youth leaders doing that,” Green said of the high school leadership team putting in the work to make the event a success. “It's fun to also see them on the dance floor, leading some of the dances. The younger kids really look up to them and have fun getting to party with them.
A memory making night for kids and adults alike as the evening featured music provided by IRBD Disc Jockey, light snacks, games, and printed keepsake photos.
“Primarily they're just running around on the dance floor and having a good time,” Green said of the kids.
All proceeds went to cover the cost of the event itself with any additional earnings going towards supporting Clover Kid and other youth programs offered by Washington County Extension.
“There's a lot of other communities that offer something similar but we kind of been able to be the ones to offer it in Washington,” Green said. “And anybody's welcome. We pull in people from all over in the county and that's nice too, that everybody can kind of come together.”
