A sea of balloons tumble from the ceiling to end the Friday, Jan. 31, Murphy Daddy Daughter Dance.

Long blue streamers and fish mobiles decorated the walls of the Murphy Community Center as girls in bright party dresses danced with their dads.

Some of the men had dressed up in coats and ties and there was a smattering of cowboy hats in the crowd.

DJ Walter Herwig of Superstar Productions had no trouble enticing the couples onto the floor as he spun various fast and slow tunes. And everybody got in the groove as fathers showed their dates how to spell “Y.M.C.A.”

Dancers waved rainbow glow sticks as they spun and jumped or froze in place when the music paused. Some of the smaller girls were content just to sway in time in their dad’s arms.

 The Murphy Parks & Recreation Department sold 136 tickets for the annual event held Saturday, Feb. 1, said Kayla McFarland, manager of recreation services.

“We sold out!” she said.

The first stop was an undersea-themed photo wall where Alex Koszarek of Wylie posed with 4-year-old Mia as Parks & Rec mermaid Jackie snapped their image to capture the moment.

There was a craft room where the girls – with help from their dads – made and colored a variety of keepsakes.

Another room had refreshments including pizza and other snacks.

Some fathers had more than one date: Jeffrey Keech of Murphy was keeping an eye on his 4-year-old twins, Kathleen and Samantha.

Keech said it was their first dance. “They’re both loving it,” he added.

He had planned to be home by 8 p.m., but they were staying for the balloon drop. “We’re not going to miss it for a bedtime,” he said.

That climax of the evening came just before 8:30 p.m. as McFarland climbed a ladder on the stage to release a net holding hundreds of balloons on the ceiling of the gym.

Dads stood ready with cell phone cameras as daughters bunched together, arms reaching up, to catch the sea of balloons as they fell. Some shaped as sea creatures were eagerly snatched before they hit the floor.

Happy and exhausted, the couples trooped out.

Six-year-old Aisha of Murphy had taken off her black patent leather shoes. “They pinch my toes,” she said.

The next Murphy Parks & Recreation events will be the Rainbow Trout Roundup on Saturday, Feb. 22, the Hop N’ Hunt on Saturday, April 17, and the new Murphy’s Backyard BBQ on Saturday, May 10, said Special Events Manager Ashley Hudson.

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