Cinderella Never Had It So Good!

School is about to start, which means homecoming is around the corner. You can wait to find your date, dress and after party, but it’s time to start thinking about transportation. Despite the weak economy, kids and their parents are looking for more interesting ways to get to events like prom and homecoming, even at an extra expense. According to The Wall Street Journal, families spent “34% more on prom expenses” in 2012, “or $1,078 on average, compared with $807 in 2011.”

This is not an entirely new tradition. One Wisconsin couple made quite the entrance 25 years ago by “driving” to prom on a baby elephant. From vintage fire trucks, parade floats, and hearses to hand-pulled rickshaws, yellow school buses and military tanks — the more creative, the better. Last year, students in Racine, Wisconsin, asked school officials for permission to arrive by helicopter. Nor is this trend unique to the United States. In Northern Ireland, a student borrowed a General Lee-replica from The Dukes of Hazzardto take his date to the spring formal. Mike Barr, the owner of Star Car Hire, believes that kids are getting these ideas from television shows such as “My Super Sweet 16.”

So this homecoming season, you might want to leave the black limo in the parking lot and think outside the box!