Dads in the Sioux Empire donned their best clothes and special girl(s) in their life dazzled with beautiful dresses and styled hair. The first Ties and Tiaras: A Father Daughter Dance was a night to remember.

My daughter, Elliana, began counting down the days nearly two months ago. When the day finally arrived she could hardly wait to put on her new dress and tiara for the big night. I'm not sure who was more excited, me or her.

My tie matched her dress and mom made sure we had our corsages properly in place.

We began our night with a nice dinner at Grille 26 where several ladies came by our table and told her how pretty she was. A big thank you to those ladies. That was special. Ellie responded with a proud "thank you" and I was smiling from ear to ear.

When we arrived at the dance, we walked the red carpet and were immediately transformed into a magical wonderland. Disney princesses were interacting with the girls and when the music began we migrated to the dance floor.

When Frozen's Elsa showed up, all the nervousness that the younger girls may have felt melted away. One minute into  "Let It Go" she was surrounded by hundreds of young ladies trying to catch "snowflakes" falling from the Convention Center's ceiling.

We had a night where we danced, held hands, were silly in a photo booth and laughed. A lot.

As every parent knows, these moments don't last forever. In what will seem like a very short time, little girls will grow up. I'm sure there will be some challenging times ahead. But for this night, when she looked up at me while dancing, I was that hero dad - and that was all that mattered.


See Also:

More From KYBB-FM / B102.7