Grad Night Out promises great fun next week

The annual Grad Night Out post-graduation event for seniors following commencement ceremonies promises to be a great event this year, committee member Natalie Wardell said this week, featuring numerous games, food, a dance and sure-to-be-popular prizes.

Though generally held at the Lovell Community Center, the event for Lovell Monday night and Rocky Mountain Tuesday night will begin with a dance at other locations. Doors will open for seniors and guests each night at 9 p.m. at the dance venue: Lovell Middle School commons for Lovell and the Cowley Community Center adjacent to the Log Gym for Rocky. Seniors must report to the dance site by 10 p.m., after which they will be locked out, Wardell said.

The dance will run from 9:30 p.m. to midnight, and anyone of high school age is welcome to attend. There will be multiple prizes given, with a drawing every 15 minutes or so, and all attendees are eligible, Wardell said.

Seniors will then travel by their own vehicles but with police escort to the Lovell Community Center for games, and due to the large number of Lovell graduates, only the seniors will be allowed to attend, but Rocky Mountain seniors will be able to bring one guest of high school age.

Once at the community center, seniors will find snacks, a drink station and numerous games. There will be three rounds of three games each. Wardell said the students will be divided into teams for the first and second rounds, with top point-getters competing individually in round three. The games are capped by the always popular eating challenge.

Games will include the head-shoulders-knees cup game, running tic-tac-toe, donut eating by string, a sticky hand quarter game and more.

The games will go until around 2 a.m., when the graduates will head to Rose City Lanes for a cosmic bowling party until 4 a.m. Students will return to the community center for breakfast and the reading of a “remember when” story written by Anna Anderson from memories written by students.

Grad Night Out will wrap up around 5 a.m., and everyone who stays for the duration will receive a major gift, Wardell said. Prizes given during the evening include a mini-refrigerator, paddle board, TVs, a kayak, a tent and sleeping bag set and a flat-top camping grill.

As always, if a student leaves the party at any point, he or she will not be allowed to return.

Serving on the committee with Wardell are Janet Prosser, Megan Wilson, Janelle Workman and Tiffany Minchow.