Niki Oliff, John Judkins, Lizzie Conner and Gerald Pitts at YEAH's Zombie Prom at Uncorked
Between the abundance of parties and the awkward date in which the holiday happened to fall, many people didn’t know what to do this past Halloween. Many people discussed going to Halloween parties, not knowing which ones would be worthwhile. What’s worse, the high school students of Murfreesboro aren’t really given proper areas in which they can celebrate, caught between the rock of children trick-or-treating and the hard place of college students drinking.
Enter Youth Empowerment for Arts and Humanities (YEAH!). Think of the compassion and community sense of an organization like the YMCA, but with the talent and resources of an arts school. Now, take that concept and offer it to teenagers looking to discover themselves through music, theatre, production, etc.
Seeing the lack of a good time offered to those that would have otherwise been stuck at home, YEAH! created not one but two really fun events.
Anna Fitzgerald. Photos by Chandler Puckett
The first event was actually both an example of past success from Murfreesboro as well as an example of future success: a concert for local ban Snakeface and the River Spirits (a band of rising rock stars who first met through the YEAH! Summer Rockblock) and 'Boro favorite The Protomen (who are also former teachers of YEAH!). Over 150 people attended the event, created thanks to a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission, which greatly appreciates the effort of YEAH! and wants to see their roots in Murfreesboro's culture thrive.
The show, which was offered Oct. 26 at the Walnut House, brought out parents and children alike to show downtown Murfreesboro how to properly rock.
The second event, held the day after (Oct. 27) was the 2nd Annual Zombie Prom, a gala dinner hosted and co-sponsored by Maple Street Grill's "Uncorked". All guests were invited to come out in their best 1960's zombie costume, a la Night of the Living Dead, with a wonderful dinner (no the guests didn't eat each other), a costume contest and an encore performance by Snakeface and the River Spirits. With both events, YEAH! has proven that it's past successes are a great indicator of their future successes. And while Halloween has come and gone, YEAH! is always looking to help Murfreesboro's youth have a good time.
Check out YEAH! at yeahintheboro.org. Also, find them on Facebook so that you can keep up with their events.
