Dancing for decades

BEVERLY GODFREY

father’s relationship with his children changes over the years, but for David Dahl and his daughter Katie (Dahl) Pollak, one thing has remained constant. The pair has attended every Father Daughter Ball since it started in 1996 — well, except that year Katie was in the hospital.

Jaxyn Pollak, born Feb. 1, 2013, put an asterisk on his mother’s and grandfather’s perfect streak — but David did stop by the hospital on his way to the dance the next day, which he attended with Katie’s stepdaughter

“I was with her in spirit,” he said. Katie said she wasn’t disappointed.

“I pretty much knew I wasn’t going to go,” she said. “My mom told me to get the tickets anyway. I was prepared to not go, with the due date being the

Other than that big day, since she was 6 years old, David, of Duluth, and Katie, now living in Oliver, Wis., have enjoyed their special night.

“It’s such a nice event, the idea of a dad and daughter doing something together. I think it’s kind of special,” he said. “It gives us an opportunity to get all dressed up and go.”

Christ Lutheran Church has run the ball all these years as an outreach ministry to the community, emphasizing the influential place fathers can hold in their daughters’ lives. The evening includes a short presentation with a Christian message, but the event is open to anyone.

“The most important thing to us is there is quality father-daughter time going on,” said Carolyn Lofald, a member of the ball committee.

It was a small affair in the beginning. The ball’s website speaks of the event’s

150 guests, then expanding to Greysolon Plaza, and now its current location, the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center. This year’s event sold 657 tickets the first night, 872 on the second. That’s close to the sell-out capacity of 950, which has been reached in the past.

“They sit and they visit all night,” Lofald said. “It’s going out on a date. It’s preparing girls for what a date should be, to go out and have conversation and have fun.”

Lofald said she advises fathers to get in shape before the ball.

“We always say, a little bit ahead of time, to dance and get some exercise,” she said. “You’re going to be out on that dance floor most of the night.”

David said it’s a night he wouldn’t want to miss. “I’m thankful that we’ve been able to attend all these years,” he said. “It’s fun to see the changes in both of us in 22 years and the changes in how we interact with each other. She went from being our little girl to a grown woman with a family of her own. It’s amazing how quickly that seems to have happened.”

As would be expected, however, the changes over the years weren’t always smooth. David and Katie have talked to each other about the years when she wasn’t completely on board with attending. David said during her early teens, his daughter didn’t think it was so cool to hang out with Dad. Katie’s memory confirmed this.

“I kind of went through a phase where I felt like I was getting too old; it wasn’t cool,” she said. But she encouraged girls who may want to stop to keep going.

“You’ll get back to the point where you’ll want to go again,” she said. “If you stop going at that awkward age, you’re not going to get back into it.”

The pair now enjoys watching new fathers with their younger daughters.

“It’s a fun, positive event. You can’t help but smile at a room full of awkward dads doing the chicken dance and then dancing to a special slow song with their beautiful daughters,” David said.

Lofald described the event as a time for dads to start the “bonding process” with their daughters. She said she has seen fathers bring 6-month-olds to the event.

“Of course, we don’t charge for that little child,” she said. “They just want to have that feeling. I really applaud these dads.”

David said another reason the evening is special to him is that it gives him the opportunity to hold his daughter in his arms again, to tell her how beautiful she is and how much he loves her. It’s exactly the sentiment organizers are aiming for.

“We just pray that it’s something that continues,” Lofald said. “The bonds between a father and daughter will always stay strong.”

Next year’s Father Daughter Ball will be Saturday, Feb. 2 and 9, 2019. For more information, visit fatherdaughterballduluth.org. — MDT

Beverly Godfrey is the features editor of Moms & Dads Today.