Daddy Daughter Dance delights large crowd

SKYE POURNAZARI/THE FORUM
Maryville residents Greg Barmann, and his daughter River, 5, kick up their heels on the dance floor at the 17th annual Daddy Daughter Dance hosted by Maryville Parks and Recreation at the Maryville Community Center. This is the third year for the couple to participate in the event.

MARYVILLE, Mo. — More than 350 people kicked up their heels at the 17th annual Daddy Daughter Dance hosted by Maryville Parks and Recreation at the Maryville Community Center on Friday, Feb. 18.

Bailey Fergison, MPR Special Events and Marketing manager, said it was her first time running the event. She told The Forum on Friday that 216 girls were registered to take part in the event.

With the gym closed all day for setup, Fergison said several Northwest Missouri State University students in the recreation classes were in-house and really helped with decorations and setup.

DJ Club Dub’s TJ Wilson packed the dance floor with a good mix of pop, country and dance music sure to offer something for everyone to feel comfortable moving their body to on the dance floor.

Mike Moyer, of Pickering, brought his daughter, Taccoa, in style to the event in a shiny light blue 1954 Ford pickup. He said it’s probably the last time, so they did it up big this year.

Photographers Gene and Lana Cease, of Maryville, were set up in the photography room to take shots of the fathers and daughters as they entered the dance. They helped with the large influx of arrivals by setting up two photo booths for the event.

Several different backdrops were set up throughout the gym to offer dads a multitude of options for photos with their daughters. Numerous games and snacks provided other activities for the young girls.

And when anyone needed a break, the floor was filled with tables and chairs for families to gather, eat snacks and recuperate before heading back out to the dance floor.

“It went great, lots of girls and their dads sharing some memories to last a lifetime” said Fergison.