Manhasset celebrated the 76th Senior Frolic, chaired by Karen Blando, Maureen Lavin and Laura Tranchina on Friday, June 27.
This year’s theme, “Night at the Museum,” was realized at the Manhasset High School gym entrance with a magnificent façade of the American Museum of Natural History.
The hallway was punctuated by photographs of the graduates in a mock movie poster, where characters from the movie were used to showcase the Senior yearbook photos.
The gymnasium revealed the Frolic Chairs’ vision of the museum, incorporating elements from the movie into the night’s theme. “The Hall of North American Plains” featured an authentic 18-foot teepee, which served as the central lounge for the students to relax and catch-up with their friends. The teepee can now be found at the Science Museum of Long Island.
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The North American Plains also included life-sized taxidermy: a running caribou, a standing brown bear, a hunting wolf and a howling coyote. Organizers incorporated “recycled” items, which included discarded stockade fencing repurposed into a “log” cabin Candy House filled with old-fashioned candy, and Italian ices donated by Manhasset’s own Gino’s Pizza and Villa Milano.
A character central to the movie was the Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton, brought to life at Frolic in “Prehistoric Hall”.
The 40-foot skeleton is the exact replica of “Ivan”, now on display in the Museum of World Treasures in Wichita, Kansas. Ivan is in the top five most complete T-Rex specimens on display in the world. The creator of the statue, John Bennitt from Dinosaur Brokers, was on hand during Frolic walk-through and the event to answer questions about Ivan’s creation and history.
Frolic traditionally includes activities for the students, and Prehistoric Hall included a cave, complete with “tattoo” artists, and a cave man standing guard.
The dance floor, “Hall of Antarctica”, featured the Frolic’s 30-foot version of the Museum’s giant blue whale hanging from above, along with more than 100 giant snowflakes. DJ Kap Slap provided the special entertainment. “Antarctica” also featured the fortune teller’s home, a giant igloo created from more than 500 discarded 1-gallon containers, donated by Starbucks.
One of the magnificent features of Frolic was the 8-foot tall Moai Statue, which was the “Dum Dum” character from the movie, created from more than 5,000 cans of tuna. North Shore Farms, King Kullen and Stop & Shop all contributed to its creation, and upon Frolic Takedown, the cans were donated to Neil’s Wheels and Island Harvest.
“Easter Island Hall” was filled with games. Pool tables and casino games along with two caricature artists and a “Tiki Hut” photo booth provided hours of amusement.
The Frolic’s impact was extended by more than 100 plants and trees that were planted the following morning. The Secondary School entrance was re-landscaped, using a gift from The Class of 1962 and Frolic plants. Five trees were planted at the front athletic field to provide shade for spectators, and the landscape beds near the tennis courts were completed. Frolic 2014 funds will be used to purchase irrigation for landscaped areas and provide yearly pruning and maintenance.
The Frolic Chairs thank the many Class of 2014 parent volunteers; Willis Paints for their donation of more than 100 gallons of paint; and finally, the Manhasset school administration and custodial staff, who came together to make this year’s frolic a very special and safe evening for all the Manhasset graduates.
