Lynn Atkins
When Noah Madryga decided to ask his girlfriend, Charity Oris, to prom, he knew he wanted to be original and memorable.
He succeeded.
Last week Noah told Charity he was in the market for a new Jeep to take with him to college. The pair headed up to Smith Auto Group at the Arkansas-Missouri state line. Explaining that he wanted to wait for his mom to join them, Noah parked in the Macadoodles parking lot and waited.
He made sure he was parked in a position where he could watch the scrolling electronic billboard facing I-49, but Charity couldn't. When he knew the time was right he got her to turn around and look at the ad that appeared on the digital screen. It took her a minute, he reported, to recognize herself and read his message.
"She was very speechless," he said. "There was a lot of girly, energetic jumping and slapping of my arm."
But when she calmed down a little, she answered: Yes, she would go to prom with him.
It was the culmination of careful planning, Noah's mother Tina Madryga explained. She works for the billboard company and that helped. Once they agreed that he would buy the ad, they went out driving to find the right billboard.
Noah and his mom drove from south of Rogers all the way to Jane looking for the right sign. She wanted to make sure he chose a place where he could safely pull over and watch the sign. They agreed the sign near Macadoodles was an appropriate spot. Then they did some role playing.
Noah, playing himself, found a spot where he could park and watch the sign without Charity seeing it. Then Noah and Tina made up the cover story about looking at cars. They even rehearsed it.
Tina Madryga provided a cover story to get the photo that adorns the sign. She told Charity she wanted a photo of the happy couple to send to Noah's grandparents. It had to be a good photo, she explained.
Noah Madryga paid for the sign, but thanks to his mother's employee discount it was affordable. He has money left from his summer employment.
When a business rents a billboard, they often get a miniature version to use in their office. Noah gave Charity the miniature version of their billboard as a keepsake.
Both Noah and Charity attend Rogers' New Technology High School. Their prom is April 30.
Operation Prom Invite was a success.
The only question left is -- how will Noah top it when it's time for a marriage proposal?
General News on 04/06/2016