Chamber Young Professionals ringing in the '80s

The decade of the 1980s started off with a bang -- Who shot J.R.? During the next nine years, Post-It Notes were introduced by 3-M. Brooke Shields asked and answered: "You know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing." And Ted Turner started CNN, the first 24-hour TV news station.

Fashion was influenced by Don Johnson on "Miami Vice." A little old lady named Clara Peller asked: "Where's the beef?" in TV commercials for Wendy's. And music groups such as Bon Jovi ran through cans of Aqua Net because it was the decade of "big hair."

"If you've got it, flaunt it," and "You can have it all!" were popular phrases. "Gone with the Wind" turned 50 and E.T. phoned home.

The nostalgia of the Me Generation returns Aug. 28 when the Chamber Young Professionals, an association of local business people mostly under 40, flashes its '80s Prom at Mollie's Cafe and Bar in Cape Girardeau.

Rhett Hendrickson, a member of the group's steering committee, said the theme of the prom is "Footloose," which refers to the Kevin Bacon movie of 1984.

"We'll feature music from the movie," said Hendrickson, a representative of HealthWorks at Southeast Missouri Hospital. "The attendees will elect a prom king and queen who will have a royal dance to one of the songs from the movie, probably 'Almost Paradise.'"

This will be the first '80s prom put together by the Chamber Young Professionals. Last year, the '80s prom was initiated by Mike Risch, owner of Mollie's. Hendrickson said it was a pet project of Risch, and it was also a lot of work.

"It was Mike's idea, and it was a lot of fun. This year he asked if we wanted to do it again, and we said we'd plan it this time," said Hendrickson, a 1990 graduate of Central High School.

As many as 70 area business people will attend the affair.

"We'll try to go in formal attire from the 1980s," said Hendrickson. "We'll try to make it a true prom. At our original high school proms, the guys mostly rented tuxedos, so we don't still have them. We'll have to rent them again, or we can go dressed like Don Johnson in an iridescent silk shirt with a skinny black tie. But we expect some guys to crash the prom wearing heavy-metal tee-shirts."

Hendrickson said he expects many of the women still have their 1980s prom dresses and will wear them, although their corsages might be too wilted to be pinned.

Nikki Stallion, co-chair of the steering committee and owner of ZanneCo., a general contractor in Cape Girardeau, said she has almost all of her old prom dresses, "but unfortunately, none of them fit."

She said she will look for an '80s-style prom dress on eBay, and try on some prom dresses her friends have.

Stallion said the Chamber Young Professionals is an official committee of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce; however, committee members don't have to be a chamber member.

"There are 13 people on the steering committee, and we have a general membership of about 50," said Stallion. "People can learn more about us by visiting the chamber Web site or calling the chamber."

The 1980s was the decade of Rubik's Cube, boom boxes, friendship bracelets, video arcades, Care Bears, Garbage Pail Kids, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and break dancing.

Following appetizers and a three-course meal, the dining room at Mollies will be cleared of tables and chairs and turned into a dance floor. Hendrickson said hundreds of songs from the 1980s have been recorded on a disc and songs will be played as requested.

Some songs that will be played include "Safety Dance," by Men Without Hats, "(My Angel in a Centerfold," by the J. Giles Band and the Bon Jovi classics "Living on a Prayer" and "You Give Love a Bad Name."

There will also be a bulletin board where people can show their senior class photos. Hendrickson said the photos should evoke exclamations such as "Oh, my god ... I looked like that?"