After all the pictures, music and dancing, East Jessamine High School juniors and seniors have a chance to stay safe and unwind with a movie after prom Saturday.
The AmStar theater in Brannon Crossing will open up four theaters for students around 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning, 30 minutes after the dance ends at The Red Mile in Lexington.
“Once the dance is over for prom, then they’re looking for something to do,” said Nicholasville police officer Billy King, who serves as East High’s school-resource officer. “It’s only midnight; they’re still wound up; they’re still wanting to do something else. There’s unfortunately not a lot of alternatives for them at midnight where a teenager can go and be safe and still have a good time.”
Raising Cane’s chicken will be available thanks to donations from the restaurant and Wildcat Ford in Nicholasville. In addition to the free movies, the theater will offer free popcorn and drinks to students.
“I think it’s a good cause,” said AmStar manager Kimberly Christy. “I know if it were my daughter or son, I would want someone to do this for them, to give them a safer alternative. I¿hope very much that they take this opportunity and not go out and drink and carouse and do things that they really shouldn’t be doing.”
King said he hopes the event will draw students from the dance as well as students who were eligible for the prom — juniors or seniors and their dates¿— but could not go.
“If we’ve got some students out there who maybe for whatever reason couldn’t make it to prom — they had to work, they couldn’t afford it, or whatever — then they still have this night out,” King said, “and they can still attend the movies and take advantage of all that up there absolutely for free, whether they went to prom or not.”
King had initially requested only one movie; Christy offered four theaters instead to give the students different options.
“It just sounded like something that was a lot of fun,” Christy said. “I’m a big movie fan; had this been offered when I was a kid, I¿probably would have jumped on it.”
