Girls Night Out: Giveaways, music, fun make for a 'lovely time'

By Nathan Pfau, Army Flier Staff WriterAugust 21, 2015

Girls Night Out: Giveaways, music, fun make for a 'lovely time'
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FORT RUCKER, Ala. (August 21, 2015) -- With nearly 300 women in attendance, one of Fort Rucker's favorite nights out went off without a hitch Aug. 14.

The Directorate of Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation held its second Girls Night Out for the year where ladies got the chance to browse vendors, shop and get the chance to win a few prizes.

"The event was extremely successful," said Aida Stallings, DFMWR community recreation division business manager. "It's a fun event to get out with just your girlfriends and shop, eat, get pampered and leave with some really nice things. We had great giveaways with great music and dancing, and everyone had a good time."

Many of those giveaways included handbags, and a grand door prize, which included a Michael Kors bag, that many of the ladies were waiting to get their hands on.

There were also more than 41 booths set up that allowed women to browse local shops, spas, vacation destinations and beauty products, as well as medical specialists that cater especially to women.

For Glorynne Leonguerrero, civilian, her favorite part of the night was the photo booth, where she was able to take photos with her friends.

"I had a great time at Girls Night Out this time around," she said, adding that this wasn't her first time to the event. "Although there weren't as many booths set up as last time, the ones that were here were nice and I really enjoyed them. It's also great that it's open to the public and not just Army (spouses) because we're all one team."

For others, the time at Girls Night Out was less about the browsing and more about the time with friends.

"I had a lovely time at the event," said Sara Seymour, Army spouse. "I was able to shop and have fun with a few friends."

Seymour said between browsing the booths, spending time with friends, dancing and waiting for giveaways, the event kept her entertained throughout the evening.

"The night wasn't stretched out to where I felt like I was just standing around waiting for the giveaways and it wasn't so short to where I felt rushed to visit all the booths, either," she said, adding that she was glad to see many women's health booths set up that allowed her to browse new technological advances that help monitor skin health, as well as breast and ovarian health.

"I headed straight for the skin diagnostic booth to see just how much the sun has damaged my face," said Seymour. "I have never had that done before and probably never would have, so I am really thankful I was able to do it at Girls Night Out. I had more damage than I ever expected and can now be aware of it thanks to that test."

Along with the health checkups, one of the more memorable portions of the night for Seymour and many women was the dancing with music provided by a DJ.

"The DJ played upbeat music all night and I felt comfortable to dance wherever I was standing when I was waiting to speak with a vendor," said Seymour. "At one point I was grooving to "Don't Believe Me Just Watch" and a few other women that I didn't know started dancing along with me, even though we were not anywhere near the dance floor. It was a fun, goofy moment that I believe we all thoroughly enjoyed -- probably a little too much."

That sense of fun is what the night is all about, along with bringing women together.

"A big part of what we do is to provide morale-boosting and recreational fun," said Janice Erdlitz, DFMWR marketing director. "Girls Night Out is one of our most-loved events and it's just a fun opportunity for our female population to get together."

The event is so popular, many women, like Seymour, are repeat attendees and return for every iteration of the event.

"I have attended Girls Night Out every time DFMWR has hosted it," said Seymour. "I always return and will continue to return because there are always new booths that participate or booths that have new items to look at. It's just great that The Landing and DFMWR created an environment where we all felt comfortable to let loose and be silly if we wanted to."

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