BY KECIA BAL
SALISBURY — Adrienne Beiler didn’t dance on prom night, and it was not because she can’t or because she didn’t have a date.
Adrienne gave up on the dance floor because her sticky ensemble, a 25-pound dress made of duct tape, was a tad restrictive.
“I tried to dance and then discovered I couldn’t move my arms, so dancing was out,” Adrienne said. “I couldn’t even sit down.”
But her sacrifices were not in vain.
This week, Adrienne found that she and her date each won a $3,000 duct tape scholarship with her colorful Southern belle and his tux – both hand-made from 40 rolls of tape.
“I cried when I found out,” said 15-year-old Adrienne. The Salisbury teen with an interest in handbag design spent a year on the creations. In three pieces, the gown required three attendants to dress Samantha for the big night.
Adrienne said it was her home economics teacher who convinced her to give the scholarship a shot. This year, more than 180 couples from 43 states and three Canadian provinces went to prom decked out in the sticky garb to try to win the Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest. Winners receive college scholarships, and the winners’ high school receives $3,000.
As Salisbury-Elk Lick High School sophomore class president, Adreinne was invited to attend the prom on May 12. She convinced her date, Zac Cupler, 18, of Grantsville, Md., that the unusual outfits could make for a special evening.
“We thought it was definitely an experience we would never forget,” Samantha said. “A lot of kids knew about it and were anxiously waiting to see. They all wanted to get pictures with us.”
Cupler said he was happy to accompany his girlfriend – who lives four miles from him – in such unique duds.
“It was different,” he said. “No one thought it could possibly be duct tape.”
