Welcome to Oz: More than 1,000 fathers and daughters attend this year’s annual dance

Well-dressed fathers and daughters braved the ice and frigid temperatures to follow the yellow brick road to the 11th annual Father Daughter Dance on Saturday at the Osage Centre in Cape Girardeau.

This year’s motif was “Wizard of Oz,” made apparent by a “road” of golden-yellow paper on the floors of the venue serving as a guide to the dance floor, the buffet line and photographers.

A near life-size cardboard cutout of Dorothy standing next to a make-believe hot-air balloon from the 1939 classic film welcomed the father-daughter duos at the entrance.

Alan Kesterson of Jackson and his daughter, Emily Kesterson, 6, dance Saturday during the Father Daughter Dance at the Osage Centre in Cape Girardeau.Jacob Wiegand ~ Southeast Missourian

Nathan DeValt and daughter Kaitlyn, 7, attended for the first time, he said. They had just made the drive from Sedgewickville, Missouri, and were filling up plates in the buffet line after first stopping to get photos taken by the on-site photography company, Cheekwood Studio.

They planned ahead, purchasing tickets for the event three weeks ago, he said, because Kailtyn told him she wanted to attend.

Kaitlyn, cheerfully holding her plate with pizza, chicken nuggets and fries, said so far she was excited about going through the photo booth. Up next was dancing.

Twins Brendan and Jalyn Milan, both 5, attended with their father, Jarrett, of Benton, Missouri. Brendan and Jalyn’s hair was curled, and both matched effortlessly with bright red lipstick and black dresses with little red bows.

Brendan said “getting dessert” is what she liked most about last year, which is why she wanted to come back.

It was their second year to attend the dance, Jarrett Milan said, because “they both like dressing up.”

Approximately four years ago, the Parks and Recreation Department posted a Facebook poll asking what themes attendees would like to see in the future, recreation coordinator Cassie Dennis said. “Wizard of Oz” landed within the top 5, which had also been an anticipated theme for the department, she added.

Special guest Mary Niswonger was dressed as Dorothy, the pig-tailed brunette from “Wizard of Oz,” singing notable songs from the film between classic rock and top-40 dance hits.

Thirty minutes after the doors of the Osage Centre were opened, nearly 950 tickets had been sold, according to Dennis.

By night’s end, she expected at least 1,100 guests. That number would exceed last year’s attendance, but wouldn’t be a record for the event, Dennis said.

An adjoining room kept the party going with 14 cases of chicken nuggets, 12 cases of toasted ravioli, 12 cases of corn dogs, 10 cases of french fries and 400 cookies, according to Dennis.

Stacey Welter with Parks and Recreation said the event required nearly 20 staff members to prepare the food, including those assisting with cooking next door at Cape Splash. Within the gym, another 20 staff members were present, she said.

Ticket sales from the event go back into the department’s budget for next year’s dance, she added.

jhartwig@semissourian.com

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