• Guests are encouraged to wear formal attire.

Star Valley’s Youth Activities Council (YAC) is hosting their second annual Harvest Ball for teen and tween aged youth on Friday, November 10 from 5-9 p.m. at the Thayne Community Center. The evening offers a formal dinner and dance where guests can learn about etiquette and ballroom style dancing.

Though the theme for the dance is simple and rustic, guests are encouraged to attend in formal attire. Organizers hope to give youth an opportunity to have fun while preparing for life as adults.

“We’re having a chicken and rice soup and learning etiquette, so if you go on a future date or if you ever eat dinner with the President, you’ll know what to do,” giggled organizer Shannon Bagley in an interview with SVI Media last week. “It’s about basic table manners and other manners.”

Guests should plan to learn dances such as the two-step and polka, as well as other ballroom style dances. “After dinner, we have a super fun dance and a really good time,” said Bagley. “It’s just kind of a way to get out on a Friday evening.”

YAC is a group of youth leaders organized about a year ago by YAC youth leader, Ethan Hobbs, who wanted to plan activities for youth in the community, bringing youth together for fun, healthy entertainment and education.

Bagley, who is 14 and a Freshman at Star Valley High School, has had a very positive experience with the YAC. “It’s just like a youth group and we just like to have activities. We had a Snow Day last year. We just like to plan things for youth so everyone can feel like more of a community, which is one of our main goals…It’s been a lot of fun. Our first ever thing that we threw was a formal and etiquette dinner in the fall last year around this time, and we’ll just keep that tradition going. It’s always a ball. It’s so fun and there are so many different dances and the people that do come and the people in the group are just so kind and so accepting, you can really let your true colors show.”

Youth interested in attending the Harvest Ball are encouraged to pre-register for the event by going to stepinbdlc.com. Pre-registration prices are $7 for a single person, and $10 for a couple. Prices at the door will go up to $10 for a single, and $15 for a couple.