The Totally Awesome ‘80s Prom was a fun walk down memory lane at the Viridian Event Center in West Jordan. 

“The vibe was amazing. People were dressed up in ‘80s gear, ruffled collars, wind pants, track suit, Memphis style pants, purple pants and checkered suits,” Jeffrey Buydos said, public relations coordinator at the County Library. 

Hairstyles seen at the event were everything ‘80s, bilevel, mullet, high top fade and Jheri curls. Booths were set up with ‘80s stores that were reminiscent of WaldenBooks, Sears and Tower Records. Guests were invited to try their hand at the “avoid your mom” escape game. Favorite movies and ‘80s characters in the style of Tony and Tina’s Wedding and The Donkey Show were all set at Wannaget High’s Senior Prom. Attendees were able to travel back in time and form a break dance circle, enjoy pop rock music, hang out with their crush or play video games.

Hosting the Totally Awesome ‘80s Prom was a big team effort from the county library. 

“We were looking for something fun that we haven’t done before, and something that would bring some nostalgia and bring people together,” Buydos said. 

The committee that worked on the event wanted to give people the opportunity to go to an activity that was safe and fun. The ‘80s prom was a great way to incorporate fun things from the ‘80s such as the emergence of home video game systems, home PCs and the mall of that era. 

“It was fun to bring all the memories of the ‘80s back and remember what it was like in a way that people will remember. Also pay a tribute to the art and style of that time and mix it in with a little bit of an educational element as well,” Buydos said. 

The technology part of the evening was set up with video arcades, Nintendo Atari, skee-ball table and board games. There was an adventure game made off of VHS tapes. The VHS movies were available to watch and participants were invited to try out the “choose your own adventure” station. 

The committee has been working on preparations for the event since October 2022. When the event finally happened on March 31, 370 people attended. 

“For me, and a lot of people, when we were in the dance room the nostalgia kicked in. Even though it was a two-hour event, I feel like we could’ve been there all night. We could have gone five hours just dancing to ‘80s music,” Buydos said.

The next adult activity will be a scavenger hunt Thursday, May 18 to Saturday, May 20. More information and registration at www.slcolibrary.org/events/featured/adult-night-out. λ