Daydreaming about an upcoming “prom” with a handful of friends on Monday at Orchards Assisted Living, 73-year-old Lena Tryon pulled a shiny purple dress from a rack of gowns.

“I knew as soon as I saw it. It was the right size, and I loved the color,” Tryon said, beaming, from her wheelchair.

“I love purple!”

Showing off her purple-and-butterfly-print leg braces, Tryon said she planned to get out of her wheelchair for at least a few songs at the April 18 event.

Orchards is hosting the dance — a kind of “senior prom 2.0” — for residents, their families and staff. Decades since they attended — or missed out on attending — their own high school proms, residents will get to experience all the typical excitement.

Ladies will have their hair, makeup and nails done if they want. Men will wear ties and bowties. Care staff will help decorate, DJ the event and serve yummy snacks.

Adding a touch of royalty, a prom king and queen will be crowned.

Shastina Meyer, an activities assistant, has been making custom corsages and boutonnieres.

While the facility still hopes to wrangle donated dresses and suit jackets, Kaymon Townsend, another activities assistant, said most of the residents are so looking forward to the dance they’ll have fun no matter what they’re wearing.

“Everybody is so excited … it’s all they’re talking about!” she said.

Townsend and Meyer, along with activities director Kimberly Helveston, came up with the idea for a prom while brainstorming fun activities after a recent event.

“We were doing a St. Patty’s Day celebration. We had the music on really loud, and they all just started dancing and got really into it. We decided we had to put on a dance,” Helveston said.

“A lot of them hadn’t attended their proms in high school so we thought, ‘Why not do one for them now?’ Then we found out most of the staff didn’t go to prom, either. I didn’t go to mine … so we’re just doing a big party for all the residents and the staff.”

Helveston said staff had made several trips to Goodwill to procure what dresses and suit jackets they could find, though they could still use more.

Townsend said the boy-girl ratio at the facility had created the only other shortage.

“We’re a female-dominated facility, so we ran out of men pretty quick,” Townsend said with a laugh.

“The few men that live here” — Townsend snapped her fingers — “already got snatched up!”

Staff and residents’ family members had stepped in to fill the gap, Townsend said. Whoever they go with, she said the residents are excited to attend.

“A lot of them were 15 or 16 and already married and pregnant when their prom happened, so they just never were able to attend those kinds of things,” she said.

The prom — which will be decorated in teal and gold sparkles — has even motivated the facility’s mobility-challenged residents to focus on their physical therapy to ensure they have a better chance of getting up and dancing.

“We have some in chairs or walkers, but they get around just fine. … Some of them said they’re for sure gonna get up and dance. I told them, if they can’t, they can do the shimmy shoulders. Lean forward. Lean back. Side to side,” Townsend said, demonstrating.

“We’re gonna have the ’70s music blasting. It’s gonna be fun no matter how much they can do.”

Lori Waterman, 55, who had called dibs on a blue-purple floor-length gown, smiled as other residents looked through a pile of colorful silk and tulle dresses. Waterman, who already has a date to the prom, said she’d been working on her physical therapy in anticipation of the dance.

“I got asked to go, and I’m so excited to dress up. I actually did go to my senior prom, but I’m just as excited for this one,” Waterman said.

“I think it’s a wonderful thing. Who doesn’t look forward to a fun night with people that we love and care about … and to get dressed up and feel pretty? It’s gonna be a lot of fun.”

For Tryon — who described her immediate post-high school years as “22, three kids and divorced” — it’ll be a first prom.

“I didn’t get to go the first time. I went to continuation school and got my diploma later,” she said.

“But I’m going to this one.”

Townsend said more dresses, in sizes large through 5X, as well as larger and plus-size suit jackets, are needed to pull off the shindig. Items can be dropped off at 1018 Royal Court. For more info, contact the facility at 541-776-5255.

One request: Donated dresses should be prom-worthy, Townsend said.

“It’s prom, so we want something that’s a little flashy, not dull,” she said.

“We need some sparkles!”