WENDELL — With prom being “pretty much the only time in your life when you’re allowed to wear a ball gown,” in the words of local artist Donna Horn, it can feel like there’s a lack of opportunities to dress to the nines.

That’s where Horn’s Wendell Misfit Prom comes in.

“This is an opportunity to literally wear anything you want,” Horn said.

This year’s Wendell Misfit Prom will begin on Saturday, June 15, with a parade starting on the town common at 6 p.m. that will proceed to Deja Brew Cafe & Pub on Lockes Village Road. Starting at 6:30 the business will be the site of a barbecue and music from The Salty Heifers and Carol Devine & the Mighty Fine, as well as activities for children.

The prom benefits Village Neighbors, a volunteer-run community organization dedicated to helping older adults live independently at home.

This year’s theme is “Wendell Gets Medieval,” but attendees can dress however they like. Tickets are $15 in advance at the Wendell Country Store or $20 at the door. Children ages 10 and under will be admitted for free.

No registration is needed for the parade, but participants are encouraged to donate to Village Neighbors.

Horn started the event in 2009. She said she wanted to provide the opportunity for adults like herself to get a second chance at prom.

“Secretly I think I just always wanted to wear the big poofy ball gown and enjoy myself,” Horn said. “And my prom was OK, but it’s pretty much the only time in your life when you’re allowed to wear a ball gown. If you didn’t pick something really nice, or if you didn’t enjoy it when you were 18, then you never really get another chance without looking like a weirdo.”

Those opportunities can prove even more scarce in rural areas, she noted.

“There’s ways I’ve always wanted to dress, and we have such a strict dress code in this country, in this time, that there just really isn’t a lot of room to play with dressing up, especially in a rural place like this,” Horn added. “So this is the opportunity for people to just go all out and wear the thing. Rewear their wedding dresses or do whatever they have always wanted to do but there’s no place to do it.”