PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Many Philadelphia area high schools have decided to hold proms this spring, with some precautions in place.
Penncrest senior Danny Cairy is glad this rite of passage is not going to pass him by.
“We found out pretty recently that we’re going to have a prom," Cairy said. "At the beginning of the year, we weren’t really sure. Plans were kind of up in the air. It’s pretty exciting.”
Laya Phillips’ senior prom is currently scheduled for June 5.
“I think they’ve changed the date maybe three times, and the location twice," she said. Like most students, she didn’t get to have a prom last year.
“I’m excited to have a prom this year, and get the opportunity to dress up and be with all my friends and people in my class.”
Dina Daubenberger is the expert when it comes to dressing up. She owns PromMiss Dresses in West Chester.
The rush for dresses started in February, but the pandemic is still complicating things.
“A lot of designers didn’t order the amount of stock that they normally do, so things are really sold out, and you can’t get the size or you can’t get the color," Daubenberger said. She has had clients drive all the way from Ohio and Connecticut to score one of her designer gowns.
“They’re happy, they’re excited about their dress and what they’re going to, and it’s just so good to see that going on again.”
There is a custom-added accessory to this year’s prom attire.
“We have a seamstress in-house. She has made many masks this year out of the fabric that’s left over from the hem,” said Daubenberger.
Some proms are being held on school football fields; others are at indoor/outdoor venues like The Fuge in Warminster. They have built a 9,000 square foot outdoor pavilion that has allowed owner Sam Cravero to modify events with changing COVID-19 precautions.
“Most of our proms are going to eat restaurant-style inside our Fuge venue," Cravero said.
"They just go to the tables, they eat and then they go outside to gather and dance under the pavilion, which (has) free air flowing with basically a roof.”
Some schools are loosening the restrictions on food service and dancing.
“Originally, they were saying no dancing. Then they realized that nobody wanted to come to the prom so they weren’t selling tickets, so most schools are allowing dancing,” says Cravero.
The Fuge has 14 proms booked so far this spring.