Youth ties a few on for prom money

Amazingly, Byron Wood still has feeling in his fingers.

The 18-year-old Flathead High School senior has devoted much of the past two weeks to making hemp bracelets. He spent time after school each day tying square knot after square knot, making bracelets to raise money for prom.

“It started with getting my tux,” Wood said. “Once I got the tux, I figured out how much it was going to cost.”

The tuxedo Wood wanted — a white suit with a purple vest and tie — cost $100. He needed half that to reserve it.

But Wood didn’t have any cash and didn’t seem to have a way to raise money.

Tennis practice was starting after school, and after practice he was busy with homework, making a part-time job out of the question. Wood said he couldn’t ask his mother, Andrea, for help; she has a medical condition that allows her to work only limited hours, and money is tight at home.

It seemed a hopeless situation until Wood’s girlfriend, Emily King, came up with a solution.

“She said, ‘Why not make hemp bracelets?’” Wood said.

Wood had purchased rolls of hemp while visiting his father in Missoula, thinking that he might want to make bracelets one day. He’d made wristlets for himself and King, but he hadn’t considered selling them.

Wood decided to charge between $3 and $5 per bracelet, “whatever they could pay,” he said. He let people know about the plan on his Facebook page March 7.

“Okay so I am making hemp bracelets to help for my prom,” he wrote. “If you would like to help me please send me a message of what color you would want. I have green, purple and tan ... and you can mix any of the two.”

Two friends responded to that message. One requested a purple-and-tan bracelet. Another told Wood she would give him $6 to create something.

The next day, Wood said, his bracelet business took off.

“I came to school broke and left with $36,” he said.

In three days, he made $49, a dollar shy of the amount he needed for the down payment on his tuxedo. But when he went to reserve it, Wood found that some of the pressure was off. King’s father had covered the $50 fee.

Orders kept coming in, so Wood kept knotting bracelets. He even sent some out of state after receiving requests from friends and family in Florida and Seattle.

In all, Wood, with help from King, has made “at least 25 bracelets,” he said. “I’m kind of tired of tying things. I don’t even want to tie my shoes in the morning.”

But his work has paid off. Within a week, Wood raised enough money to cover the rest of the cost of the tuxedo rental, $20 for two tickets to the dance and $5 for two tickets to the after-prom party sponsored by the Stop Underage Drinking in the Flathead Coalition and Signature Theatres.

He picked up his suit Wednesday. Later that evening, he thanked his friends for helping him.

“Got my tux today,” he posted on Facebook. “Thanks to everybody who helped me out with my tux fund and buying a bracelet from me. The tux is amazing and I can’t wait to wear it for prom with Emily!”

He will don that tuxedo tonight for Flathead’s Candyland-themed dance. He and King, who celebrated their five-month anniversary Friday, have dinner reservations at the Blue Canyon and then plan to just “hang out” until the dance starts.

Both are excited to experience prom for the first time.

“I didn’t go to prom last year,” Wood said. “Prom is one of those senior things I wanted to save for senior year.”

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.