Sock Hop
by Peggy Smith / ga02142007
 

We held a 50's Sock Hop. We had over 200 turn out. We did hire a DJ and, boy, did he help me keep the night rolling. We decorated in pink/black we made giant black records and used colorful construction paper as the center ring.  We wrote the name of 50's songs on them. I think they were about 3 feet round.   We used black and pink streamers (it gave it that 50's prom feeling) and tons of helium balloons.

We brought in a Harley for couples to take pictures on. It was a big hit. We used one section of the cultural hall to make an autograph wall and bought paper plates from the party store that looked like 45 records and surrounded the white butcher paper and hung black markers for people to sign their names.

We put the DJ on the stage, and of course they have all kinds of cool lights that flash ,etc. We cutout stars and put glitter all over them and then pinned them to the stage curtains (awesome look).  Someone in our ward had a life size Elvis sitting on a stool and a some other awesome 50's decor (so this also helped our look).  We used white table clothes and black placemats (we had 25 round table- 8 chairs per table )we used pink napkins. Online I bought old 50's cardboard cars that were about 12" long and we filled them with bubble gum and 3-5 helium balloons per table in pink/black/purple.  They made great centerpieces

I bought those $1.00 tap lights (about 3-4 of them) and placed them on tables while everyone was eating and we played Name That Tune you had to hit your light and the 1st table who hit it 1st and named that tune won a prize for the entire table like (Twizzler licorice or pack of pixy sticks or a package of paddle balls). 

We had hula hoop contests - movie passes and red wax lips
Twist contests - prizes were slinky's and movie passes for 2
Cutest couple -prizes were cat eye glasses for her shades for him
Limbo contests -
bubble gum blowing contest- red wax lips and a beanie hat with a propeller on it. 
I had other contest, but have forgotten (my notebook is home)

We put together a girls group to lip sync to Leader of The Pack we brought the bishop up and put a leather jacket and shades on him and had him sit on the Harley. They really hammed it up and it was fun.

We served hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries, onion rings, water or soda and dessert was Root Beer floats.  We set up someone big (nice) self contained cooking center with griddles and grills and deep fryers and cooked right outside the kitchen in the parking lot. We had sisters in the kitchen putting the plates together and Youth had already signed up to be waiters and waitresses. They also had to dress in the 50's clothing. I saw a lot of old letterman jackets, poodle skirts, hot pink lipstick and on and on.  And they served the tables.  All in all everyone one even the over 70 age group did some limbo and danced.

It was a great big success.  I kept a contest of some sort going all night and kept it lively, no one wanted to go home around 9:30 we finally played the old hit "Hit the Road Jack "and said you have to go now...we have to clean up. The following day I wore my saddle shoes to church and everyone got a kick and smiled remembering the night before.

I think our success was due to two things.  First, I was extremely upbeat and moving all night ( I had a lot of great help) and secondly, everyone wanted to have a good time and they did.  For some reason many think that a church activity has to be totally spiritual - not all of them after all it is a social event. And we had just good lively clean fun.   I would do it again in a heartbeat. it was such a just for fun and high tempo night.