Undo’s West Brings Taylor Swift Superfans Together
Emma Delk Trending
ST. CLAIRSVILLE – Boas, sequins and friendship bracelets were plentiful at Undo's West's "Taylor Swift Day Experience" on Saturday.
Over 165 "Swifties" gathered at the restaurant to sing and dance their hearts out to the pop singer's hits.
Apart from karaoke, attendees enjoyed plenty of other activities "Taylored" to the singer, including a build-your-own-friendship-bracelet station, a brunch buffet serving Swift's favorite food and a lip-sync battle.
Event organizer Gigi Zelewicz explained Undo's Owner Nick Sparachane wanted to do a Swift-themed event after witnessing his grandchildren's love for the singer. When Zelewicz contacted DJ Daner to help develop a Swift-themed event for the restaurant, he "jumped on board right away" to make it happen.
While the event originally sold out for a smaller crowd, demand allowed ticket sales to be extended for "a little longer," Zelewicz said.
"We could have sold even more tickets, but we wouldn't have had enough space to fit everyone," she added. "To see such a great turnout and atmosphere here, it's great. I think it's good to see the kids having fun because Taylor is such a good role model for the kids."
Fans represented all of Swift's album eras in their outfits at the event. Some channeled the beginning of the singer's career with country-themed cowboy boots and crimped hair, while others opted to emulate Swift's single "Bejeweled" from her recent "Midnights" album in their sequined outfits.
Apart from paying tribute to the singer in their fashion, the best part of the event for many attendees was getting to "shake it off" and scream the lyrics to their favorite Swift songs.
Lia Chirpas, who was dressed up in an outfit inspired by Swift's "22" music video, loved dancing to the song she represented at the event. Chirpas also coordinated her ensemble with her two friends, Tenley Roth and Myla Amedro.
Chirpas explained they did not have the opportunity to plan their outfits in advance as their mothers decided to buy them tickets to the party as a surprise. All three were relieved they already had matching Swift attire they wore together on Valentine's Day.
"We got so surprised by our moms," described Chirpas. "We all thought they were acting weird before they told us we were going. When they finally gave us the tickets, we were jumping off the walls."
Since the three friends did not get to go to Swift's concert "The Eras Tour," spending over two hours together singing and dancing to her hits was a good replacement.
"I liked how we got to make friendship bracelets and trade them," said Roth, who explained bracelet exchanges are a tradition among fans at Swift's concerts.
"All of this was great, and I'm glad we got to do this," added Amedro. "I was really happy."
Another trio sporting matching outfits was the Moray sisters, who wore pink dresses with heart-patterned boots to imitate Swift's "Lover" album. Mother Lauren Moray enjoyed helping the sisters pick out their matching attire.
"It was fun choosing out their outfits with them and helping them match," Moray said. "I also enjoyed seeing all the other outfits."
Moray noted her five-year-old Mila, three-year-old Sofia and nine-month-old Gianna were "all danced out" by the end of the event.
"All three of them are big Swifties," she said. "At home, they're either dancing to Disney music or Taylor Swift. They met some of their friends from dance class here, too, so they were pretty much going the whole time here dancing and singing. They're going to have an early bedtime tonight."
Moms and dads also got into the Swift spirit by sporting their own themed clothing, with DJ Daner thrilled to see a lot of participation from parents at the event.
"What I liked about it was seeing some dads come out and have fun with their daughters," he said. "It's great that the parents didn't just drop off their kids, they were coming to enjoy it, too."
After keeping the Swift hits coming for over two hours, DJ Daner noted his audience Saturday was particularly hyped.
"When you have Taylor Swift music playing and have all these kids feeding off each other's energy and excitement, it's a lot of fun" he added. "I think the parents and kids could just leave life behind for three hours and enjoy the moment."
Due to the success of the first rendition of the "Taylor Swift Experience," Zelewicz said an encore event is planned for April 13 at Undo's Italian Restaurant & Sports Bar in Weirton.
"We're already brainstorming new activities for the next one because I've heard a lot of attendees here are planning on coming to the next one," added DJ Daner. "We don't want to repeat anything so the experience can be new and exciting for them again."