Minnetonka apartment building for 55+ puts 'senior' in senior prom

MINNETONKA, Minn. (FOX 9) - At a time when many high school students are dressing up for a spring rite of passage, residents at a Minnetonka apartment building are putting the "senior" in senior prom.

Every month, the staff at Avidor Minnetonka, a 55 and older active adult community, puts on a special event, like a disco or a casino, to help the residents have some fun.

This month they decided to host their first-ever prom, so the seniors can strut their stuff on the dance floor to songs from the 50s and 60s.

"I said, 'Hey, we're all seniors. It's prom season. Let's have senior prom.' and then they said, 'oh, we can do that,'" said Cathy Kurtz, a resident who suggested the idea.

"It really gets everybody together as a community. Or if we have some of those outfits in the back of our closet and have nowhere to wear them. Well, here you can," said Avidor Minnetonka Lifestyle Coordinator Denise Pederson.

For some, it's their first prom because they didn't attend one in high school.

"When I was a teenager, we were moving around with my father's job, and so I was not comfortable enough in my high school to go to my own senior prom. So this is my first. I'm excited," said Kurtz.

For others, it's a chance to relive some cherished memories. And even though there is no official prom queen, Sally Krusell certainly dressed the part.

"My mother made this white coat so that it would go with my prom dress in 1965. It's well made and it's still around. It's 58 years old," said Krusell.

The theme of this prom is "Under The Sea," just like in the movie Back To The Future, and residents hope their new activity doesn't become a thing of the past.

"I'm a little disappointed they don't have a punch bowl that we could spike. But we got good wine, so that's fine," said Kurtz.