Real options for graduating seniors
You make the choice: dinner out with Mom and Dad, a beer-soaked
clandestine gathering alongside a rural road or the party of a
lifetime.
You make the choice: dinner out with Mom and Dad, a beer-soaked clandestine gathering alongside a rural road or the party of a lifetime.You make the choice: dinner out with Mom and Dad, a beer-soaked clandestine gathering alongside a rural road or the party of a lifetime.
That’s the choice local grads are making, and in San Benito County, the majority appear to be opting for the third.
Volunteers are putting the finishing touches on Sober Grad Night 2006, an all-night party that, thanks to a flood of donations, has swelled to gala proportions, according to co-chair Marci Huston.
Huston estimated that about 80 percent of the graduating class will gather near Andy Hardin Field at 8 p.m. on Friday, June 9, for short limo rides to O’Donnell Gym. There, the “Hollywood Nights” theme means the newly minted grads will be greeted by camera slinging paparazzi.
Once inside, the students can choose from a variety of activities featuring a long menu of prizes, including tickets to professional sporting events, bicycles and movie and dinner passes.
Members of the San Francisco 49ers cheerleading squad will be on hand, and KDON-FM radio will be present for a live remote.
“I just can’t wait for that night,” Huston said. “The support’s been amazing.”
Members of the community have another chance to support the event by patronizing a benefit carwash this Saturday, June 3. The event is set for 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Gold’s Gym parking lot at 1525 Cushman St. in Hollister. The Hollister Fire Department, county Substance Abuse Program, the California Department of Forestry and the county fire volunteers are co-sponsoring the benefit. The event also features a jewelry sale, bake sale and cake walk.
Days before the event, Huston and co-chair Susan Nystrom are still shopping for beauticians to volunteer to do complimentary make-overs for those attending Sober Grad Night.
With an operating budget of $17,000 the event remains free to students. Many similar events in nearby communities carry admission prices as high as $200
The party lasts until 4 a.m. June 10. Local restaurants are supplying an array of snacks and the county Cattlemen’s Association is supplying a tri-tip barbecue. A do-it-yourself hot fudge sundae bar will also be set up, Huston said.
