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Duct tape is their prom style
By jeanne starmack
lowellville
What do silk, satin and duct tape have in common?
They’ve all been used to make prom dresses, but only the duct-tape dresses give their wearers a chance to earn $3,000 for college.
Brooke Pallozzi, 17, a Lowellville senior, was stuck on that idea when she learned about Duck Brand Duct Tape’s scholarship contest three weeks ago. Even though her dad, Bob, had already bought her a dress, she had to go for the big money.
“Three thousand dollars — that’s a lot better than a $250 dress,” she said.
Dad agreed, even though he didn’t know at first the project was for a scholarship. “I thought, why buy a dress, spend money and then do this?” he said Friday. He said that when he found out, he thought it was a good idea.
“I thought it was awesome,” said her mom, Renette, as, by 4:30 p.m. Friday at Bob Pallozzi’s house on West Walnut Street, three weeks of design work culminated in the finished creation.
Brooke showed it off for the neighbors — last year’s strapless, form-fitting dress with the flared bottom had been given a stunning makeover. Covered in silver duct tape with bright green and pink accents that matched her bright green duct-tape shoes, it was beautiful, if a bit uncomfortable. Sitting was worse than standing in the dress, which felt very tight, Brooke said.
Her bouquet of hot-pink roses matched the boutonniere in prom date Louie Lebron’s lapel.
Lebron also decked himself out in duct tape.
“I was like, what, are you serious?” said Lebron, 18, a junior, when she first told him what she wanted him to wear.
Her other friends? “They thought I was out of my mind,” Brooke said. “I’m always the crazy one.”
The couple will appear on the Duck Brand Web site, stuckatprom.com, with other contestants.
People can go on the site to vote for their favorite couples, and the winners will receive $3,000 for first place; $2,000 for second; $1,000 for third, and $500 for runners-up.
Voting begins June 18 and continues through July 26. The winners will be announced July 27.
Brooke is still deciding between two colleges — Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pa., and Bowling Green State University near Toledo.
Westminster is recruitng her for softball.
She wants to major in special education and minor in business.
The future for her duct-tape dress, though, is not as bright. It was to have one night of glory at Lowellville’s prom at the Byzantine Center in Youngstown.
And then? “We might have to cut it off,” said Brooke.