The first Geek Prom was held in 2002 at the NorShor Theatre
in Duluth, Minn. The theme was "We are through being
cool." The Devo reference was not lost on everyone, but
some wondered if any of the people who attended the prom had
ever been cool in the first place.
The somewhat formal dance for adult misfits featured music
by Super D & the Double
Chucks and Vinnie and the
Stardüsters. The first King and Queen Geek, Ryan
Amundson and Gina Giacomini, were crowned and audience members
witnessed the first-ever "Geek Streak," when seven
nude nerds emerged from out of nowhere, sprinted through the
main theater, and disappeared into the night.
The 2003 Geek Prom was dubbed "Geek Prom II: The Geekquel."
Another crowd of the socially unskilled converged on the NorShor
to hear the futuristic sounds of the Hospital
People and Manplanet,
and witness the crowning of the new King and Queen Geeks,
Ben Fisher-Merritt and AnnMarie O'Malley.
The NorShor Theatre changed ownership and was temporarily closed in early 2004, so Geek Prom promoters moved their event to the geekiest place they could think of, Duluth's Great Lakes Aquarium.
The third annual prom was "Cubed For Your Pleasure,"
and reached heights of dorkiness never before thought attainable.
For the first time, trophies were handed out to the champion
spaz dancers, and Mr. Lindquist hosted a segment of fun and
games that included several rounds of playing "Will it
Float?" Susan Ludwig and Trailer
Park Queen, along with DJ Konnor, provided music, and
Chris "Lithis" Nelson and Zoey Cohen were crowned
2004 King and Queen Geek.
In 2005, "the geek shall inherit the earth" was the
slogan as Geek Prom moved to the Duluth Technology Village,
where the Pizza Luce restaurant hosted the first Gonzo Gong
Show, a talent competition for bird impersonators, jugglers
and lip-synching buffoons. John Cavanaugh and Crystal Pelkey
were crowned 2005 King and Queen Geek, and DJ Konnor and the
Hoot Owls provided the musical spaztrack.
The Science Museum of Minnesota was the venue as Geek Prom
moved to St. Paul in 2006. "Get Your Geek On" was
the slogan and Band Geeks
provided music. Eric Houston and Shari Hartshorn were crowned
king and queen. Attendees played video games on the big screen
and had the opportunity to dissect a cow's eye.
Geek Prom returned to the Science Museum in 2007 with the
slogan "We're Bringing Geeky Back." Neal Spinler
and Katy Haugland were crowned king and queen at the largest-attended
Geek Prom ever. E.L.nO.,
the Twin Cities' best Electric Light Orchestra tribute band,
provided the "Strange Magic" onstage, and a group
of streakers were unpleasantly
surprised by a St. Paul Police officer.
It was back home to Duluth for the 2008 Geek Prom, where
the Great Lakes Aquarium agained played host. Lawrence Lee
and Trish Stinnett became the new bearers of the crowns and
sashes, and music by Dance
Band kept everyone shaking their baby makers.
The 2009 prom featured three musical acts: Tim
Kaiser, Paul Broman
and Best Friends
Forever. It was the first year with no Geek Streak, which
brought sorrow to some and relief to others. James Ellingson
and Rachael Gilman became the new royalty.
Geek Prom took a year off in 2010, switching to an ever-other-year
structure due to a reduced threat level from the hideous fleckuloids
of the Mineculon.
In 2011, Alec Habig and Megan Shuey were crowned king and
queen, the first and only Air Supply Air Jam ever was held,
the first Geek Prom marriage proposal occured during a trivia
contest, and the Four-eyed
Snakes tore up Duluth's Teatro Zuccone theater.
Geek Prom 2013 was the very first event held at the Underground theater in Duluth's Historic Union Depot. There was a Geek Dating Game, a Karaoke Gong Show hosted by Jody Kujawa, and DJ Mary Hall provided the music. Dr. Jason Ford, a philosophy professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth, was crowned King Geek. His queen was Mandy Muellner, an operation room assistant and baker from Superior, Wis.
By 2014, the threat level from the hideous Fleckuloids of the Mineculon had been sufficiently reduced by the geek energy generated by ten proms, and no plans were in place to produce a future event. |