March 28, 2024

The return of Princess Ty

It’s amazing the power little girls hold over grown men.

As men, we are supposed to be these monosyllabic, ferocious, masculine machines made of excessive body hair and flesh. Yet, there I was on Saturday, for the second time since July, posing for pictures with a tiara on my head, a green wand in hand and having a good time at a princess-themed event.

What can I say? Little girls are my kryptonite and I look good in a tiara.

While some of you may laugh at this image or call me “Princess Tyra,” as staff writer Zach Johnson did, I have no regrets and would gladly do it again in a heartbeat. And p.s. Zach — my official princess name is not Princess Tyra, it’s just Princess Ty.

Royal titles aside, I have to say this past weekend may have been the most fun I have ever had on weekend duty. Don’t forget, I’ve covered Thunder Nites, Iowa Speedway events and several fairs and festivals.

The wholesomeness and innocence of everything is what sucked me in.

Princess Ty made his return when I covered the Princess Workshop put on by the Fairy Godmothers of Newton and watched the transformations occur on the faces and in the demeanors of so many little girls. A few weeks ago, when I interviewed the Fairy Godmothers organization, they all told me that was their favorite part and I can see why.

I saw so many little girls start off being so shy and apprehensive when they arrived at the nail station and then I watched them become more confident and self-assured as they started twirling their dresses grinning ear to ear and swinging their freshly styled hair around by the time the whole process was completed.

They may not have actual powers, but the Fairy Godmothers really do some magical things.

One of my favorite moments of the workshop occurred when Abby Chance, a certified D-I-V-A and local celebrity, informed me after she had her makeover done, that she and Princess Ty were taking a picture because “she is not the girl to be ignored.”

Abby’s only about 7 years old, but this is her world and we just live in it, something I’m sure her parents Tammy and Jason would agree with.

I cannot express much fun I had at that workshop and I’m sure anyone’s heart would’ve melted had they been there. However, the workshop was just the first part in my total immersion into the world of princesses on Saturday.

The main course of the evening was the Princess and Papa’s Ball itself. I showed up around 6:30 and my jaw dropped when I got to the parking lot of Newton Senior High School. I’ve been to NHS for plays, community activities, beauty pageants, big volleyball and basketball games, but I have never seen it so packed.

With an estimated crowd of more than 600, I was blown away with how big it was.

Seeing so many happy girls with their dads/escorts was a pretty cool, and brings home my earlier point about little girls having power over grown men.

At this dance, it seems every guy had his guard down and was just trying to have fun with the girls. You had politicians doing the “Cha-Cha Slide,” county officials wearing pink ties and even the biggest guys in the room doing their best two-step and posing for pictures.

Events like this are great ways to showcase how tight-knit our community is and how important it is that Newtonians help support Newton. Neither the workshop nor the ball would have been so successful without the people who came out to support them.

I want to thank all of Fairy Godmothers who donated their time and efforts to make the workshop happen and I applaud the NHS Student Council for holding their great event. This was a Saturday I was more than happy to work.

Like I said earlier, I look pretty good in a tiara.