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CORVALLIS, Ore. – The winter formal dance, a tradition for decades at Oregon State University that all but disappeared in recent years, is being revived later this month.

As part OSU150, the university’s 15-month celebration of its founding, the Winter Wonderland Formal will be held from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Jan. 27 in the Memorial Union Ballroom. Wintery decorations in blue, silver and white will create a winter wonderland effect. The event is free and only open to students and their guests.

The idea to bring back the formal dance emerged from a think tank of about 20 student leaders brought together by Shelly Signs, OSU150’s executive director. The group generated about 33 pages of ideas for events to celebrate the university’s anniversary, but the most popular idea, and the one they kept coming back to, was the formal dance, said Hannah Loh, the dance event coordinator. 

“We realized that there are house dances that go on in Greek Life, but other than that there’s not really any other prom-like event that college students can go to,” Loh said. “We really liked the idea of having that just because it sounded fun and a great way to relive the tradition that used to take place in the MU Ballroom.”

This year’s dance will pay homage to the past, with a fancy dress code, a live band for the first half of the night and dance lessons. However, parts of the event will be modernized. Half way through the night, the live band will be replaced with a DJ. And a photo booth will be available to capture the memories. 

“Students have been very excited about it, so much so that I definitely think it’s going to reach capacity,” Signs said. “I think really what has inspired them is seeing the vintage pictures of people dressed up in the Memorial Union Ballroom. We want to make sure everyone has a place to wear their fancy clothes, so students should not wait to reserve their spots.”

For more information about the dance, visit its Facebook event page: http://bit.ly/2D1J7k3.

The OSU150 celebration will continue over the next several months, culminating with the official 150th anniversary in October 2018. An exhibit, “Oregon State University: A Legacy of Transformation,” will open Feb. 10 and run through Sept. 9 at the Oregon Historical Society Museum in Portland. And the OSU150 Sea Grant Festival will take place Feb. 12-24 in Corvallis, with additional events in Portland, Newport, Port Orford, Coos Bay and Astoria. It will recognize the university’s decades of work protecting coasts and oceans.