For South’s senior class of 2017, the Willamette Heritage Center, formerly known as Mission Mill, has become a familiar venue for end-of-the-year formals. The Center has played host to South Salem’s prom for the last three years straight, despite a history of more varied venues in the past. In the spirit of mixing things up for this year’s upcoming graduates, South Leadership has arranged for a fresh scenery come the special night. With the swanky theme of Footloose and a promising campaign of posters advertising the event, SSHS Prom 2017 will be held at Zenith Vineyards on Apr. 22, 7:30-10:00pm. Being a much more rural location, the Vineyard boasts a 5,000 square ft ballroom with 20 ft ceilings, and a 120 ft patio overlooking the rolling hills of land. Whereas refreshments in the past have been provided by South’s catering team and Dutch Bros. Zenith Vineyards provides on-site catering with event rental, meaning a change in taste as well. The Vineyard also has a policy of only hosting one event each day, which “insures exclusive use of the ballroom and lawn,” as their website explains, providing ample time for preparation, comfort, and cleanup. Ultimately, website testimonials and social media photos can only go so far in relaying the experience to those unfamiliar.
Regardless of past prom experiences, the best way to get to know the differences in South’s Prom experience has proven to be simply attending it. Whilst perhaps smaller than initially expected, the venue comes off as a quaint redone barn or church building, providing the perfect rustic setting for a small-town, Footloose-vibe dance. The place was not so big so as to make it seem empty, but spaced just well enough to give students a place to rest, eat, and socialize in between dancing. Along with cupcake towers and various mason-jarred beverages, the venue hosted a free photo booth with props for all students, and ample seating and tables overlooking the vineyards. All in all, Zenith Vineyards proved a lovely setting for South Prom 2017, sure to remain glowing and fairylit in the memories of many. As an added bonus, South students can now boast of having experienced the scenic grounds before the prom of neighboring Salem high school Sprague, whose 2017 event will follow in South’s foot-loose steps on Friday Apr. 28.