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Warsaw’s annual Daddy-Daughter Dance has been such a popular event in recent years that organizers decided to double up the fun this year.
The gamble of sorts proved to be a safe one for Warsaw Parks and Recreation Department which has already seen tickets for both nights – Feb. 9 and 10 – sell out in a matter of weeks.
The dance has been an annual event for at least the past 10 years and has sold out for at least the past six years, according to Sheila Wieringa, recreation director for the parks department.
The urgency for tickets, though, has continued to grow, she said. In recent years, the 150 available tickets were sold out within days.
“If we had not added another date, we would have been sold out the first day,” Wieringa said.
Individual tickets are $15. The night includes dancing, appetizers and formal photos of all the couples that are then mailed to the participants’ homes.
The event has become a night of bonding for some young girls and their father figures.
“I think it’s fun because it’s just them. We don’t allow the moms there,” Wieringa said. “It’s a special time that they get to spend with their dads or grandfathers or whoever is bringing them.”
Each year, organizers choose a new theme. This year’s theme is “Under The Sea.”
Parks Superintendent Larry Plummer credits Wieringa with the idea of pursuing a second night.
Plummer and Wieringa both agree it’s become one of the most popular events offered by the department.
For many families, the event has become a tradition as fathers bring daughters. Plummer said they’ve seen repeat visitors over the years.
“It just seems to attract all facets of the community,” Plummer said.
Daddy-daughter dances have become a common theme for park systems. Plummer said attendance at a similar event in South Bend has attracted more than 1,000 participants.
Plummer said he was told by a South Bend parks representative that they felt the size of Warsaw’s event was more “personable.”
The parks department recently issued a list of 33 park programs scheduled for this year.
Dates for some of the more popular include:
• Blues & BBQ, July 6
• Country Concert, July 20
• Rock Concert, June 15
• Fall Family Fun, Oct. 12
• Family Carnival, Aug. 3.
• Light Up The Night, Dec. 7
Princess Tea Party, a new event, will be May 5.
The parks department also has expanded the number of late night skates at Mantis Skate Park. Dates include May 25, June 2, June 29, July 27, Aug. 11, Aug. 31 and Sept. 15.
