Belles of the ball
By GAYLE WEBER
SMITH CENTER -- Brooke Waller knew what she wanted before she arrived at the second annual prom dress swap Saturday.
"A big, poofy, princess dress," she said.
And after seven or eight tries, she found it -- a pale pink one that will be perfect come time for the Stockton High School prom in April.
Waller, a sophomore at Stockton, was one of dozens of high school girls who made the trip to Smith Center on Saturday and Sunday in order to trade last year's dress for a different one.
No money exchanged hands during the event, which was born out of Debbie McMurdo's basement.
"It started with 16 dresses in my basement, because I have four daughters," McMurdo said.
When her husband asked what she wanted to do with them, she had the idea for the swap.
"Next thing you know, I have 200 dresses hanging in my basement and my husband was sorry he ever opened his mouth," McMurdo said.
But the event has helped give some girls a prom they otherwise would not be able to afford.
McMurdo said if the girls never have been to a prom before, they are allowed to take a dress under the condition they return it to the swap the next year.
"We've had donations from people that don't have kids," McMurdo said. "If you've got a basement full of prom dresses and you want to get rid of them, we don't limit age. We take them no matter how old they are."
The event even featured a few display dresses from the 1950s and 1970s.
"We had a girl last year that took one from 1982, and it was the hit of the prom," said Lori Bortz, the Smith Center representative for the event.
Representatives from 13 communities in northern Kansas and southern Nebraska collected about 150 dresses this year to add to the collection leftover from a year ago.
Lyndsey Gilmore, a 2008 Stockton High graduate, donated last year's dress back to the event, and it was one of the first ones back out the door Saturday morning.
"It was nice. I had it altered, and the altered worked for her, too," Gilmore said.
She was back at this year's event to help her younger sister, Janie, find the perfect dress.
"It's really nice having all the older ladies that actually stay and help you decide if the dress looks good, not just having your mom say you look cute," said Janie Gilmore, a Stockton High junior.
Members of two local sororities volunteered their time to assist the girls with finding the right color and style of dress.
According to McMurdo, there were more than 400 dresses to choose from at this year's event, and more girls took advantage of the swap than last year.
In addition to dresses, McMurdo also accepts shoes, wraps, jewelry and other accessories.
But it's the dresses that make the event for the high-schoolers.
"It's fun to come and try on prom dresses with the girls," Waller said. "I love trying on dresses."