On the evening of Friday, February 5th, the Champaign Park District hosted the annual A Daddy & Daughter Night in Wonderland dinner and dance at the Hilton Garden Inn. Designed for children ages 3-12, this provided a great opportunity for fathers and their daughters to spend some time with each other and create some magical moments that, hopefully, last a lifetime. Tickets were $26 and covered dinner, craft activities, face painting, and, of course, as much dancing as you could get! It was wise to sign up and get tickets in advance, too, as the event sold out with almost 500 guests arriving to enjoy the festivities with Alice, Cheshire Cat, and many other characters visiting from Wonderland.
Dinner started at 6 p.m. and was such a packed dining hall that it made navigating the tables for wait staff rather tricky. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food, and since this was a family-oriented event the strongest drink available seemed to be lemonade- a definite winner for the kids.
Throughout the entire night two photo studios were available to take pictures of the guest and offer photo packages which, by the considerable and constant size of the line, most everyone seemed to be interested in. Shortly after 7 p.m. the Wonderland characters arrived, largely hanging out together near the dance floor to offer photo opportunities to all the little girls in the house.
The dance floor “officially” opened up at this time as well, and did not die down until the night was over. A few special dances were called, most notably when those who were here for the last time (since the daughters were now 12) or the first time were called out for recognition.
The final dance of the night also came with a special message: “Fathers, this is your chance to spend some time with your daughters and show them how they should be treated on a date.”
The evening ended promptly at 9 p.m., and guests made their way out of Wonderland with a mix of smiles, hugs, and more than a few tired young ladies being lovingly carried by their daddy. Check out more photos of the night below!
About Stephen Kemp:
Stephen is an IT manager for the University of Illinois and has been a photographer for Smile Politely since 2015. Find his photography on Facebook or contact him directly via email.
