WWW.VALLEYRECORD.COM6 • June 1, 2011 • Snoqualmie Valley Record

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The mom who saved promNorth Bend family

comes to the rescue on big night with

emergency generatorBY CAROL LADWIG

Staff Reporter

Twenty-six years after high school sweethearts Roy Baunsgard and Joy Hoffman were crowned Mount Si High School’s Prom King and Queen, the couple again became prom celebrities, at the 2011 Mount Si prom.

There were no crowns this time, but it was very special to Joy Hoffman-Baunsgard, prom photographer and hero.

“Sunday I went to the Dairy Freeze, and this cute senior girl behind the counter said ‘are you the lady who brought the generator to prom?!’” she said. Well, she was, so the girl said “’Thank you! You saved our prom!’ So that was nice to be thanked by the kids,” Hoffman-Baunsgard said by phone last week.

Hoffman-Baunsgard credits her husband, Roy, with actu-ally saving the dance, held Saturday, May 21, at Union Station in Seattle. He was the one who brought the couple’s

emergency generator from their North Bend home back into Seattle to power both his wife’s photography equipment and the DJ’s music and light show after the electricity went out, minutes into the dance.

“Prom started at 8:30 (p.m.) and we lost power at 8:40,” said class advisor Christi Wright.

After a few moments of not knowing what to do, the group rallied and started thinking. Hoffman-Baunsgard called her husband, who’d been help-ing her set up her camera equipment earlier and was on his way home with their two boys, and asked him to bring in their home generator.

“Since it can power our whole house, I figured it could handle most of the DJ’s stuff,” Hoffman-Baunsgard said.

With the help of a friend, Kevin Aman, who “flew down the hill from Wilderness Rim,” he loaded the generator into Aman’s truck and sped back to the darkened prom.

Meanwhile, prom-goers waited, sitting at tables in the soft emergency lighting (pow-ered by battery backups), and talking. Some students left, Wright said, but about 200 couples stayed for the evening. Hoffman-Baunsgard was impressed with the class offi-

cers, who did their best to keep everyone at the dance.

By 9:54 p.m., the genera-tor was in place, Hoffman-Baunsgard was photographing couples, the music was playing, and no one was complaining.

“I think that they were so, so excited that we made it kind of work,” said Hoffman-Baunsgard. “I didn’t see any-body that was mad.”

“They really saved it,” Wright said of the couple. “I will be forever grateful.”

A little tension remained throughout the night, though, as fire safety concerns loomed.

“The kids probably didn’t know this, but the facilities manager was very concerned that he would lose the bat-tery backups,” said Hoffman-Baunsgard. If the backups had failed, the fire safety precau-tions would have shut down, and the building would have been evacuated.

Luckily, prom proceeded for everyone, and 9 year-old

Photo courtesy of Photography by Joy

Joy Hoffman-Baunsgard and her family (clockwise from top), husband Roy, and sons Troy and Macoy, had an impromptu portrait taken during prom, which their own generator was powering.

Troy Baunsgard got his wish, to stay for the whole dance, since his ride was with the generator. Usually, only his Mom stays to the end, “because the royalty pictures are done pretty late.” This year’s King and Queen are Chad Stetson, and Kassidy Maddux.

Prom ended near mid-night, but the work was far from done for the family. The generator had to keep running to give them lights to pack up all of the photo

equipment, and they had to use flashlights once they took down the last light-stand. Both Troy and Macoy, 6, were sound asleep by the time the family got home, around 3 a.m.

Hoffman-Baunsgard and her husband were tired, too, but happy to have played an important part in the school that holds a special place in their hearts. Looking on the bright side, she adds, “Now they have this amazing story to tell!”

“They were so, so excited that we made it work.”

Joy HoffmanNorth Bend parent and

photographer

Bike safety rodeo returns to Snoqualmie on June 11

For the seventh year, Valley children can learn the ins and outs of safe cycling at the Tanner Jeans Memorial Bike Safety Rodeo, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 11, at Cascade View Elementary School, Snoqualmie Ridge.

This is the largest bike safety event in the Pacific Northwest, bringing more than 1,500 children and par-ents for activities including free helmet and bike inspec-tions, helmet replacements, shirts, safety certificates, food and beverages, games, balloons, face painting, and an antique car display.

The Tanner Jeans Memorial Foundation was formed six years ago in response to the death of 7-year-old Tanner Jeans in a bicycle accident. The Foundation has sup-ported various athletic schol-arship, academic scholarship and child safety programs throughout the Snoqualmie Valley since its inception. It is dedicated to teaching kids to “Have Fun, Play Fair and Play Safe” and to ensuring that Tanner’s legacy lives on.

For more information, contact Laurie Gibbs at (425) 396-4570 or Snoqualmie Police at (425) 888-3333.

Volunteers to be honored at Rise and Shine breakfast

The Snoqualmie Valley Community Network recog-nizes outstanding volunteers and youth at the 15th annual Rise and Shine Breakfast, 7:30 a.m. Thursday, June 2, at Camp River Ranch, Carnation.

The free breakfast is prepared by the Mount Si Culinary Arts Program, with a soft request for con-tributions to the Prevention Scholarship Fund.

This year, there are 15 recipients from both the Riverview and Snoqualmie Valley School District geo-graphic areas. The board is creating a new Youth Legacy Award to recognize a par-ticularly outstanding youth from Cedarcrest.

All are welcome. Learn more at www.snoqualmieval-leycommunitynetwork.org.

In Brief