The Fast Track to Romance
Gallup's first speed dating event looking for single area men

By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Staff Writer

Colleen Palmer is organizing a 'speed dating' event this Sunday as a way for professionals to meet, and also as a charity event to help raise money for homeless people in Gallup. The speed dating starts at 8 p.m. at the Coffee House on Coal Avenue, and participants should get there early to register. [Photo by Jeff Jones/Independent]

GALLUP — Colleen Palmer is trying to get Gallup's women and men up to speed in the 21st century.

She's doing OK with the women, but the men are proving a little elusive.

Palmer has been trying to organize a speed dating event for this Sunday evening in Gallup to raise money for a charitable organization. She has almost enough women signed up, but she needs about ten single men between 30 and 50 years old to sign up by 5 p.m. on Saturday.

In a nutshell, Palmer's speed dating event would bring 10 to 15 single women and the same number of men together at The Coffee House. Everyone would sign in and be given a name tag with just their first name on it. The women would be assigned to a table, and the men would move from table to table every four minutes. No last names or contact information would be exchanged; the participants would just briefly chat to get a glimpse into the others' personalities. In an hour or less, all the women and men would have met each other.

At the end of the speed dating session, participants would turn in forms to Palmer indicating who they might like to possibly meet again for a date. If both parties are interested in each other, Palmer will provide them with each other's e-mail address. If only one party is interested, no e-mail address will be provided.

In the spirit of the season, Palmer planned the event with a Valentine's Day theme; however, Palmer said the event was more about helping meet the social needs of single people in Gallup. She believes that many single people move to Gallup because of employment opportunities with the local schools and hospitals, but they leave after a year or two because there aren't enough social activities geared for them.

"I think Gallup has the opportunity to grow if there were more things for single people to do," she said.

Although Palmer is not sure why, she feels local men may be a little intimidated to try speed dating. When she posted flyers around town, she stated all participants must be single, professional adults over 21. By professional, Palmer explained, she was looking for individuals with a job, a stable life, and personal goals.

What she got back, she said, were responses from women in their 30s and 40s who fit that description. Some men have expressed interest, she said, but they haven't registered.

"It is a little scary," admitted Palmer, who tried a similar speed dating event in California. She didn't find true love, but she said the experience was the start of one good friendship. "I think it's an opportunity for people to meet somebody they don't know," she said.

If enough men don't register by Saturday, Palmer said she will postpone Sunday's speed dating event for a few months. Describing this event as a test run, Palmer said in the future she will be more specific about the age of participants, and she may gear different speed dating events to specific age ranges.

She's also interested in trying the event in Farmington. "I'm thinking maybe I'll have a better chance there," she said, explaining that Farmington's population is more than double Gallup's.

If Palmer can get speed dating off the ground in Gallup, she would like to hold the event several times a year. She believes they have the potential to be fun events for area singles, and they would be an avenue for her to help raise money for local charitable organizations.

Men or women interested in registering for Sunday's speed dating event need to contact Palmer by 5 p.m. on Saturday via her e-mail address: speedqueencolleen@yahoo.com. The speed dating begins at 8 p.m., with participants signing in during the previous hour. The fee is $25. Palmer said this event's proceeds, minus food expenses, will be donated to a local charitable organization that works with Gallup's homeless population.