Hundreds dance the night away at the ball

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By Mary Louise Speer | Wednesday, November 22, 2006 1:08 AM CST | () comments

John Schultz/QUAD-CITY TIMES Emma Volk, 5, and her father, Steven, jump together while dancing Tuesday night at the Sugar Plum Ball, a Festival of Trees tradition at the RiverCenter, Davenport.

Young ladies traded their jeans and casual manners Tuesday night and dolled up in their best for a night with handsomely attired dads and grandfathers at the Quad-City Arts Festival of Trees SugarPlum Ball at the RiverCenter in downtown Davenport.

About 800 guests enjoyed a meal with ambrosia salad and grilled marinated chicken breast and dancing and girls took home a charm keepsake. Dancers from Wedding Dance, Etc. demonstrated some new dance steps. All proceeds go to the Quad-City Arts.

“It‘s a wonderful way for the community to give back to the community and have a wonderful time,” says Lisa Lorenz, vice director of operations for Quad-City Arts.

The formal dinner dance is an annual tradition for Jim Graham of Davenport and his granddaughters, Kaylie Kohel, 9, and Jordyn Kohel, 5, who live near Wausau, Wis. “When my daughters were little we didn’t have a chance to do this,” he said.

He made the 5 1/2-hour drive earlier this week to pick up the girls for their date with Grandpa. Family friend Fred Whiteside came with them.

Kaylie briefed her little sister, a first-time attendee, on what to expect while they were getting dressed for the ball. “I like dancing and I said (to Jordyn) you’ll have a lot of fun dancing,” she said.

Jordyn looked forward to having a spin out on the floor with Grandpa, she said.

For sisters Molly O’Brien, 6, and Lauren O’Brien, 4, the best part of the evening is dancing with Daddy. The girls wore matching dresses with black tops and cream swirly skirts. The evening is a nice prelude to the holiday season, said their father, Matt O’Brien of Bettendorf.

Rebecca Jackson, 15, of

Davenport, shimmered in a dark blue formal and her father, Lt. Col. Tom Jackson wore his Army dress uniform for the occasion.

“The ball is just a lot of fun. I found out about it last year. I’m kind of older and but me and my dad have a lot of fun spending time together,” she said.

Jim Kadavy of Davenport and his daughter, Grace, 9, practiced dancing in their kitchen at home to make sure they were ready for the ball.

“We came down because this is my third daughter and it’s become our tradition to come down for the start of Christmas,” Jim Kadavy said.

Grace is his youngest daughter and Dad hopes that she wants to keep attending the ball for a few more years. She wore a cream dress and a necklace borrowed from her mother. “I like the pretty dress and I feel like a princess,” she smiled.

Jack Ducey and daughter, Emily, 13, of Rock Island, were fortunate to get the very last table available for the event at last Friday’s Grand Premiere Party. SugarPlum is a Ducey family tradition, he said, but Emily is getting older and this year he was uncertain whether she really wanted to attend.

“I really thought it was done because my daughter hadn’t mentioned the ball. We were headed to the Grand Premiere and Emily said ‘When is the SugarPlum Ball?’ ” he said.

Fortunately for both of them, there was a table up for bids at the silent auction. They invited several of Emily’s friends and their dads to come with them. “The best part is seeing the smiles on the girls’ faces,” Ducey said.

Selecting just the right dress for a night out with Dad is important, Emily said. The most important elements are the length and a neckline that meets his approval. The best part for her is feeling that it’s just the two of them. “It’s really cool,” she said.

The city desk can be contacted at (563) 383-2450 or newsroom@qctimes.com.

If you go

Quad-City Arts Festival of Trees at the RiverCenter, 136 E. 3rd St., Davenport

Today’s events:

11:30 a.m.: Celebrity lunch with local celebrities working for arts-promoting tips.

8-11:30 p.m.: Jingle Jam for teens to mingle and dance.

General admission hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Parking is available at the RiverCenter parking ramp at 2nd and 3rd streets entrances.

Prices: General admission tickets are available at the door. Adults, $7; Seniors, 60 and older, $6; Children, 2-10, $3.

For more information, call (563) 324-3378 or go to www.quadcityarts.com/

festoftrees.