In July, I had to borrow a gorgeous women’s church hat for journalism and my marijuana plants in the garden. One is named after Stephanie Moon Reynolds, the city councilwoman who is running for mayor. I needed a Sunday church hat to highlight her plant, but I didn’t know where to borrow one.

Brenda Hale, president of the Roanoke NAACP branch, said that Priscilla Casey (no relation) has the largest collection of women’s hats in Roanoke. So I called Casey, who is very funny, and soon I found myself at her house in Cave Spring.

She loaned me two beautiful purple hats. And when I returned them a few days later after taking the photos, Casey said, “I have another story for you. Have you heard about the prom?”

She fished an 8″ x 11″ flyer out of a stack of paper and showed it to me.

Senior Prom,” it said. As seniors, we Caseys both found it interesting.

The free event for Roanokers ages 50 and older will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. on Sept. 14 in the Berglund Center’s Bella Vista Room. This relatively new fourth-floor reception room opened in September and is approximately 6,000 square feet.

“It’s a good banquet hall that’s always well attended,” says James Faris, who books events there for the Berglund Center.

Surrounded by huge windows, Bella Vista offers views of the downtown Roanoke skyline with the Blue Ridge Mountains in the background. In photos on the Berglund Center’s website, the place looks modern and chic. The views are inspiring.

Roanoke Sheriff Antonio Hash has been in office since 2022. He is a long-time deputy who won the constitutional office in a contested election in 2021. Hash leads the second largest police department in Roanoke after the city police. The sheriff’s office has 221 employees, including 191 sworn deputies.

In Virginia, the duties of sheriffs vary by jurisdiction. The Roanoke sheriff is primarily responsible for guarding the city jail, providing courthouse security, serving civil court documents, and staffing school resource officers at city elementary schools.

The Roanoke Sheriff’s Office also participates in TRIAD, a statewide initiative of the Virginia Attorney General. TRIAD focuses on seniors and promotes regular contact between local law enforcement, seniors, and senior advocacy groups with the goal of reducing crimes against seniors.

Locally, TRIAD hosts monthly informational seminars to warn seniors about scams and talk about other topics such as estate planning, mindfulness, and physical and mental health.

“TRIAD is constantly looking for ways to educate Roanoke City’s senior population,” said Tameka Paige, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office. One of those ways is “a fun and exciting activity” like the senior prom.

Paige said planning for next month’s prom began in February. The theme is “Hollywood glamour” and dress code is semi-formal. The Berglund Center is providing catering. There will be music, but it was unclear Friday if it would be a live band or a DJ.

No city tax money will be spent on the prom, Paige said. A grant from TRIAD partially funds the event, which is catered by the Berglund Center. The rest is largely covered by cash or in-kind donations from sponsors. Overall, Paige estimates prom costs will be between $7,000 and $8,000. The largest single expense is catering.

There was a lot of discussion among sheriff’s staff about setting a minimum age for prom attendees, Paige told me, because there was no specific definition of the term “senior.”

Ultimately, “we settled on AARP’s number 50,” Paige noted, referring to the American Association of Retired Persons.

She has also organized some volunteer drivers to transport prom-goers who cannot drive, as well as some volunteer beauticians to cut hair and do nails for the female attendees. Paige may also be able to find a donated suit or two for men who cannot afford them. These donations are in limited supply, she noted.

“We don’t want there to be barriers for anyone in our senior community,” she said.

At the prom, there will be photographers taking photos of the attendees, there will be some gift baskets as prizes, lots of decorations and plenty of conversation, Paige said.

“We want everyone to get involved, dance, take pictures – we want this to be a night to remember,” she said. The sheriff’s office hopes to make it an annual event.

A total of 175 places are available for the graduation ball. As of Thursday afternoon, around 70 tickets had already been reserved.

There are several ways to get reservations, one of which is to point your phone at the QR code in the flyer (above), which will take you to an online ordering form.

Alternatively, you can follow this link or contact the Sheriff’s Community Engagement Specialists: Te’Ana Schmitt, (540) 853-2724 or [email protected], and Kala Gilbert, (540) 853-1766 or [email protected]

If you are a sponsor who would like to donate to the event, contact Tameka Paige (540) 853-1761 or [email protected] (no period at the end).