Students laugh at an After Prom activity. The event was started by parents as a way to keep kids out of trouble and has turned into a tradition. This year's event is at Greylock Bowl.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Prom season got under way early last week, and it was no April Fool's Day joke.

 

The Mount Greylock After Prom committee kicked off fund raising for the 2015 event with an online auction that opened for bidding on Wednesday night.

 

Bidders can compete for items ranging from a Mountain Adventure Pass at Jiminy Peak to a once-in-a-lifetime experience at the Clark Art Institute now through April 10, when online bidding closes in order to get ready for the main event: a silent auction and Dueling Pianos show at Greylock Bowl & Golf and Mingo's in North Adams.

 

Greylock Bowl also is the site of the After Prom event itself. After dining and dancing the night away at Berkshire Hills Country Club, promgoers are whisked away by bus to the North Adams venue, where the party continues through the wee hours of the morning.

 

What started as a parent-driven activity to keep student drivers off the road has grown into an institution embraced by the students themselves, organizer Elinor Goodwin said this week.

 

"The nice thing about this event now is after 22 years it's a staple of their Senior Week," Goodwin said. "They don't really think of it as a safety event as their parents think of it."

 

The event — open to prom participants only — includes bowling, a casino night, use of the golf simulator, food and a performance by hypnotist Frank Santos Jr.

 

"The students love it," Goodwin said. "It's a very non-threatening show."

 

And if the weather ever warms up, the after prom party can move outside to take advantage of the deck and outdoor recreation area at Greylock Bowl & Golf, where organizers hope to set up a volleyball net and a basketball hoop, Goodwin said.

 

Of course, the whole event costs money, usually about $10,000, and that's where the April fundraiser comes in.

 

In the past, the organizers have found that finding businesses to donate items to an online auction is sometimes easier than reaching potential bidders. So instead of limiting the auction to the already-sold-out event on April 11, they opened the fun to the entire community through bidding that can be found at: biddingforgood.com/greylockafterprom.

 

There are 16 items on the online, including a pair of tickets (plus parking) to July's Taylor Swift concert at Gillette Stadium (a $400 value), two tickets to a Miami Dolphins football game (transportation the responsibility of the winner), and a personalized tour of the Clark Art Institute with retiring Director Michael Conforti for a group of 10 people.

 

"You'd have to do it by Aug. 31," Goodwin said, referring to Conforti's announced retirement. "You can still do it after, but it wouldn't be with him."

 

Other online highlights: a graduation dinner for up to six people at North Adams' Freight Yard Pub, senior photos from Faucher Photography and a weeklong summer camp at the Williamstown Youth Center.

 

Speaking of the WYC, on Saturday, April 11, it will host a Kids Night Out event from 6:30 to 10:15. Though timed to coincide with the Dueling Pianos event, the Night Out is open to anyone.

 

For $25 per child ($20 for additional siblings), members of Mount Greylock's senior class will coordinate games, sports and activities at the youth center. As with all events — the auction, the Dueling Pianos show, a restaurant month at establishments like Freight Yard Pub and the '6 House — all proceeds go to the big night on June 1.

 

For more information about the event, visit www.greylockafterprom.com.