After a two-year absence, plans are underway at Wiscasset Middle High School for a prom on the evening of Saturday, May 21. The theme, “A Night at the Casino,” will feature an evening of music, dancing, light snacks, and games. The Morris Farm, located just down the road from WMHS, is hosting the event, which by the way is open to all of the high school’s students, not just juniors and seniors.

The junior class continues to take on responsibility for planning the event with the help of advisors like English language arts teacher Michelle Fraser. Ms. Fraser told me the Prom Committee discussed a number of possible locations. “They initially talked about setting up tents and holding the prom outdoors outside the high school. But you never can be sure what the weather is going to be like in May; it could rain, be too windy, or too cold.”

She told me it was Payton Blagdon, the junior class president, who suggested getting in touch with the folks down at Morris Farm and that set the wheels in motion. A group of class officers accompanied by Ms. Fraser visited the farm and before long they’d worked out the arrangements for renting space there. I gather some of the students are going to do some volunteer work on the farm to help cover the rental costs. Good idea.

I like to think most of my readers know a thing or two about Morris Farm. When I first moved to Wiscasset in the late 1970s the farm was home to Forrest E. Morris Sr. and his wife Myrtle. Mr. Morris was elected Wiscasset’s road commissioner in 1966 and served 14 years before retiring. He could always be counted on to take part in the town’s annual Fourth of July parade when he drove a horse and buggy. Not long after Mr. Morris passed away an effort began to preserve this land as open space by buying it from the Morris family. In 1995 enough money had been raised to purchase the property. The plan was to continue operating it as a working farm, one of the few that’s still left in Wiscasset. The Morris Farm Trust, a non-profit organization, was formed to oversee the property that includes a store selling locally produced farm products and other goods, a Learning Center offering programs on sustainable agriculture, the environment, and nutrition, and a working farm.

If my memory serves me right there’re about 47 acres there, most of which is rolling pasture land. The property offers one of the nicest views of open country in the area and is just a short walk from Wiscasset’s busy downtown.

From their website I learned Morris Farm has rented its Learning Center and/or barn for many different events including weddings, birthday parties, meetings, classes, workshops and musical performances. I gather this will be their first time hosting a prom. Well, why not?

Ms. Fraser said past WMHS proms have been held at Bath Country Club, the Taste of Maine restaurant, Boothbay Playhouse, Maine Maritime Museum and in the high school gym. But there’s something special about having this year’s prom at Morris Farm that’s less than a mile from the high school.

Here’s something else that caught my eye on Morris Farm’s website: “All of our programs rely on participation from community volunteers and utilize the farm's land and animals to foster respect for the earth and to instill a sense of shared responsibility for the wise stewardship of natural resources.” A simple statement but we could use a lot more of this kind of thinking. Don’t you agree?

We’re very fortunate to have Morris Farm and all they offer our community. You can learn more about Morris Farm and how you can help support it financially by logging on to www.morrisfarm.org. Before closing, let’s tip our hat and express our gratitude to Michelle Fraser and the other dedicated teachers and staff members working in our school system. Thank you is something we don’t say often enough to our educators.

Phil Di Vece earned a B.A. in journalism studies from Colorado State University and an M.A. in journalism at the University of South Florida. He is the author of three Wiscasset books and is a frequent news contributor to the Wiscasset Newspaper and Boothbay Register. He resides in Wiscasset. Contact him at pdivece@roadrunner.com