Mary Alice Casebolt wins the title of Beacon House Happily Ever After senior prom queen as Ken Grimes is named prom king.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Residents of the Beacon House Senior Living facility took a step back in time to their high school days on Thursday.

The facility hosted its inaugural Beacon House Happily Ever After senior prom — an event organizers hope will become an annual tradition.

“We invited all of the residents, and with the help of Southern Care Hospice and the staff here at the facility, we enjoyed a day of dancing and fun,” Beacon House Senior Living Facility Administrator Carrie Rejonis said.

She added that the idea for the event came together when speaking with some of the residents who were reminiscing about their high school days.

“They were telling us things that they would like to do, and they were all reminiscing about their prom when they were in school. We thought it would be a good idea to try to recreate it, so we allowed them to pick out the theme and the decorations and went from there,” Rejonis said. “It’s important to keep people active and moving, and there’s no better way than dancing and celebrating with friends.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a single session of moderate to vigorous physical activity provides immediate benefits for your health. In addition, regular physical activity helps prevent many chronic diseases. It can also lower risks of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and lower the risk of bladder, breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, lung and stomach cancers.

DJ Dan from Southern Care Hospice volunteered his time to play music as well as to serve light refreshments. He also announced the prom king and queen, who were elected by everyone that attended the event.

“Everybody had their name put into a drawing, and we selected the prom king, and then we selected the prom queen,” Rejonis said.

Ken Grimes was named the prom king and Mary Alice Casebolt the prom queen.

“We just have wonderful residents and a great staff that helped us make the event successful, and we enjoyed it and hope to do it again next year and be just as successful,” Rejonis added.