Melissa's Prom Story

After three years of mediocre school dances, I wasn't too excited about my senior prom. That is, until I found the perfect red dress. It had a sort of flamenco flair and I felt exotic and different in it. I had to wade through a lot of Laura Ashley dresses to find this hot little number back in 1989. I still have that dress and although I know I'll never fit into it again (sigh!) at least I can still conjure up good memories of a young woman who really wanted to stand out from the crowd.

The funny thing is, an FFA market pig almost kept me from my prom! People might find it hard to believe now, but I was a serious ag student and very active member of Chico High's FFA program. I sold market animals through 4-H and FFA to finance a college fund. (And to think I used those funds at radical San Francisco State University!) As it turned out, my senior prom was the same day as the Junior Livestock Auction at the Silver Dollar Fair. And I had a late sale number. My memory is of the sky actually starting to change, it was getting so late in the day.

By the time my pig actually sold, I had precious little time to gloat over my check. It was time to get showered and ready for prom! The thing with working around livestock all day, especially livestock being handled by sweaty teenagers and 4-H tykes, is that you never quite feel clean after only one shower. But that's all I had time for. So although my dress made me feel exotic, I still couldn't help checking myself throughout the night for traces of livestock smell. That stuff just sticks with you!

My date, a good friend who I may have been a bit clueless towards, turned out to be a wonderful gentleman who created a beautiful prom experience for me, more than making up for three years of bad school dances. He wore a skinny 80's style red tie to match my dress and we looked smashing--in that 80's flamenco kind of way!

Melissa Prom 1989