In Fredon, daddys, daughters dance the night away

| 13 Feb 2017 | 11:01

By Laurie Gordon
“You’re the end of the rainbow, my pot of gold,
You’re daddy’s little girl to have and hold.
A precious gem is what you are,
You’re mommy’s bright and shining star.”
– Al Martino, “Daddy’s Little Girl.”

Tara Templeton takes Valentine’s Day seriously, and when it came to chairing Friday night’s Fredon Township School’s Daddy/Daughter Valentine’s Dance for the second year in a row, she built on last year’s success and put even more heart into making it something phenomenal.
“This is our second annual dance hosted by the Fredon PTC,” Templeton said. “I feel lucky to chair this event, and I love doing it. When I see all the dads and their daughters dancing and laughing, it makes me so happy. Seeing the love between my husband (Charlie) and our girls (Charlize and Sienna) and thinking back to my childhood and the dances I attended with my dad, makes me feel grateful to do this. The PTC is proud to host this event, and so am I.”
All girls and their dads or special dad figures in their lives in kindergarten through sixth grades were included in the dance, and Templeton took what she’d done last year and built on it. Things like the candy bar, desserts, punch and dancing remained, and there were some surprise additions.
A new touch this year that really touched the fathers was that Templteon had each girl write a valentine to her dad on a red heart. “We scatttered them all over the walls in the gym for them to find together throughout the night,” she said. “Then, when the dance was over they were allowed to take them down and bring them home. I went to the school that morning and had each girl come down to the art room to fill out the heart. This way the dads knew nothing about it, and it was a nice little surprise for them.”
Templeton said, “I did a few things differently this year. Instead of an activity table, I decided to hire a face painter, and instead of a photographer, I decided on a photo booth. The kids love that. I went with an idea given to me at a PTC meeting for a nail station where dads can paint the girl’s nails and the girls can paint the dad’s nails. All big hits. I stuck with the must haves too such as a cotton candy machine, the candy bar, the dessert/ snack and punch table and a DJ. It was a fun filled two hours with lots to do.”
She added, “Clowns and Gowns entertainment provided the face painter, and we rented a cotton candy machine from Party World in Newton. All three of these companies gave us a great deal plus a school discount. We are very thankful.”
Templeton was able to get the snacks, waters, punch and cookies donated by Sams Club, Weis Market and ShopRite, so she had more of a budget for these specialties.
“The biggest challenge in chairing this event is making sure the gym is transformed into a beautiful space in a short amount of time,” Tempeton said. “We can’t get into the gym early because school is in session. We were, however, allowed in two hours before school ended to start the decorating process. We are thankful to the school and to Mrs. Trusa for allowing us to take over her gym. It takes about four hours to get it all done.”
This year, eight moms helped set up, and 12 moms worked the event. “The Fredon School custodians are a huge help in this effort too,” said Templeton. “They get on the ladders, hang all the lights and the tissue balls ... all the ‘not so pretty’ work. Us ladies would not be able to do that so quickly. So, we thank them too. It’s a real team effort, and I couldn’t ask for a better team to work with.”
Templeton deemed the event “A huge success again,” and said, “All the dads and girls thanked us on their way out and said how happy they were with the dance.”