Father Daughter Dance

by Elizabeth Butler

August 08, 2007 09:32 am

— When Jeff and Becky Stewart began the Father-Daughter Valentine Dance 11 years ago, little did they realize the event would grow from about 170 attendees to 3,000 in eight years and impact not only the community but the state as well.
The Stewarts began getting calls from throughout Georgia on how to start a dance in their own communities after Southern Living featured the dance in its magazine last February.
“We are humbled by the success of the event and have been surprised every year by the continued growth,” Jeff said.
The Valdosta accountant credited the “dads and father figures who have made this dance a success by attending.”
Five thousand dads and daughters are expected to attend this year’s dance Feb. 9-10 at the James H. Rainwater Conference Center. Two sessions are available each night: 6-8 p.m. or 9-11 p.m.
“This is our first year of experimenting with two nights,” Jeff said. “We are offering 6,000 tickets this year with hopes that that will satisfy the demand.”
For each of the four sessions, 1,500 tickets will be available.
“Even with the increase in tickets, we encourage those who want to attend not to wait to get their tickets,” Becky added.
Tickets go on sale Jan. 29 at three locations: First Presbyterian Church (the sponsor of the dance since its inception); Glamour Shots and Valdosta Greenhouses. Cost is $10 per person.
“It was never just a First Presbyterian event because we had so much support from the community through volunteers and donations,” Becky said.
The Stewarts began the dance after Jeff read about one in the Focus on the Family Publication of Christian psychologist Dr. James Dobson. The Father-Daughter Valentine dance concept was begun by Jim Massery in 1992 in Pittsfield, Mass., a city about the size of Valdosta. In four years, the northern dance had grown to an attendance of 1,000 people.
“They sold 1,000 tickets in six days so I knew the concept would work,” Jeff said in 1997.
Last year, the 10th anniversary Valdosta dance tickets sold out in a record 1 1/2 days.

Over the years, the increase in attendance prompted a change of venue from the auditorium of First Presbyterian’s Centennial Building to the Woman’s Building, Mathis city auditorium and the James H. Rainwater Conference Center, where it was the second event in the new facility.
“The purpose of the dance is to allow dads to set the standard of how a man should treat their daughters on a date and to build the daughters’ self-esteem,” Jeff said in 1998. “In this hectic time of dads and moms working and children in daycare, it is a time for dads and daughters to build relationships.”
Throughout the years, the little girls have loved getting the pictures made in their new dresses; dancing the hokey pokey, the macarena, the chicken dance, and the locomotion; and especially the drop of hundreds of pink and white balloons.
As daddies bring their little darlings, from babes in arms to adult daughters, to the Father-Daughter Valentine Dances each year, they seem to be aware of the fleeting time they will have to spend with the ones who think they hung the moon.
“I bring her because she is not going to be young long,” Mike Daniels said of his daughter, Ellie Grace, at last year’s dance.
“I just had her yesterday, and now she’s 6,” he said, kissing her head.
Don DeCarlo of Quitman brought his two daughters, KK, 17, and Jordan, 19, to last year’s dance so he could spend time with them.
“Jordan is a student at Valdosta State, and KK is a senior in high school, and this may be the last time I’ll have them together.”
Patriarch Eddie Richardson of Echols County not only brought his four granddaughters but his four daughters as well to last year’s dance.
“He’s 73 and told his daughters we had to come with him to the dance,” said Lana Foster of Echols County. “(In 2005), he brought his granddaughters. He’s making it a yearly event.”
Allon Boatright of Valdosta was taking a break from the dance, enjoying some refreshments with his 3-year-old daughter, Maggie Elizabeth, in the lobby last year. He had brought her to the dance for the “moments you will treasure for the rest of your life. You can’t take every day for granted. You don’t know what will happen.”

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