They bought their dream dresses for prom. Now they may never go. - LancasterOnline |
| They bought their dream dresses for prom. Now they may never go. - LancasterOnline Posted: 11 Apr 2020 02:00 AM PDT For Keelan Kirchner, choosing a prom dress was an all-day affair. The Penn Manor High School senior, accompanied by her mother and a friend, drove across the county line in late January to find dresses in York. They stopped at one store. Then another. Then one or two more. She tried on dozens of dresses. No luck. On the way home, they stopped at a boutique and tried on one more. "When I put it on, I was like, 'This is the dress.' I knew this was the one," Kirchner said. "It just made me feel so beautiful."  Penn Manor High School senior Keelan Kirchner tries on her prom dress in January 2020. But now, nearly four months later, the likelihood of Kirchner gliding into prom wearing that dress — a mermaid-cut, periwinkle gown with lace embellishments — is diminishing by the day as the effects of the coronavirus pandemic pile on for Lancaster County students, especially high school seniors. Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday ordered all Pennsylvania schools to remain closed for the rest of the academic year, and a statewide stay-at-home order remains in effect until at least April 30. A handful of Lancaster County schools have already postponed or canceled prom. For students and parents, eventual cancellations countywide wouldn't come as a surprise. "I think at this point prom won't happen," Lampeter-Strasburg High School senior Kyra Hersh said. Hersh said she's disappointed she might not end senior year celebrating the traditional way with her friends. "Besides graduation," she said, "(prom) is one thing that you really look forward to." Hersh bought her dress online in March. It was one of several she ordered, knowing she could return the ones she didn't like. "When I put this one on, I just felt good in it," she said. "It was so pretty, and it had pockets." Zymair Thedford, a senior at Conestoga Valley High School, said he and his date planned to wear matching, African-themed outfits. "I was really looking forward to dancing and taking pictures with my classmates and having a good time," Thedford said. For many high school seniors, prom is an event with larger-than-life expectations. It's a moment many remember for the rest of their lives. "It's a one-in-a-lifetime experience," Thedford said. Kirchner, Hersh and Thedford said they hope to celebrate with friends when the state and federal governments relax social distancing rules. A couple Lancaster County residents are trying to plan their own event for students over the summer.  Lampeter-Strasburg High School senior Kyra Hersh poses with her prom dress in March 2020. Derek Smith, 37, of Lancaster, said he's trying to connect with parents to offer a prom for either McCaskey High School students or for students countywide. "I went to McCaskey (High School). I know how big prom is," he said. "And I know how important that milestone is for your senior year. It's kind of like the big shebang." Smith doesn't want to duplicate anything the district offers. Those who want to help, Smith said, can email leaveyamark@gmail.com. Paula Matters, 41, of New Holland, has a similar idea. Her daughter goes to Lancaster Catholic, which canceled its prom. Her daughter's dress currently hangs in the basement. "Every time I walk down to the basement, I look at it and it makes me sad," Matters said. Matters has communicated with almost a dozen likeminded parents through social media to begin planning an event potentially for the whole county in case schools don't offer a prom alternative. To contact Matters and other parents working on the "pop-up prom," email PopUpPromLanc@gmail.com. "We just need to at least give them hope," Matters said. Hope seems to be in short supply these days for students like Kirchner, who recently wrote a poem to reflect on the importance of prom and other end-of-year celebrations she and her classmates might miss out on because of the health crisis. It ended like this: "We will get our diplomas / But not our senior memories / And we will have to leave our high school / without a proper thank you and goodbye / On behalf of all the seniors / Thank you COVID-19 for robbing us of our hope / Dear class of 2020 / We are all heart broken / We will get through this together / You are not alone." Related coverage      |
| COVID-19 closure causes stress for dress shop owner - St. John News Online Posted: 10 Apr 2020 10:35 PM PDT Dresses sparkling in the front window of the former Jetts store on South Main Street in Pratt belie something new is afoot. But all is not as good as it could be for Small Town Curves, a bridal gown/prom dress shop making a move to a bigger space. Owners of "non-essential" businesses of all sizes are struggling with the reality left them in the midst of the current coronavirus pandemic. In Pratt, one business that the shutdown has affected is Small Town Curves, owned and operated by Samantha Gwinn. "We can no longer be open. We were not deemed an essential business," said Gwinn. "We could have online sales and ship, but that is a little difficult to do with formal orders." Gwinn said that her business, which should be heading into their busy wedding season, is not able to offer much-anticipated formal services including bridal because of COVID-19 restrictions. "All formal events are larger than groups of 10 which means all proms, galas and weddings are on hold," she said. "Our formal sales are a large percentage of our business. We were in the heart of prom season when the virus hit. We were helping girls from multiple counties, states and schools find their perfect dress as well as bridal parties. As of now we have had to stop all prom sales and postpone all of our bridal appointments." Gwinn said the store is closed until further notice, but it has given her time to finish a move into a larger location in Pratt. "We remain optimistic that this will end and business will pick back up," she said. "We just moved into a new building and we are going to be able to expand our casual and dress wear selections, so when we are able to open again we will have more to offer." Gwinn said she was currently busy making arrangements for girls who had already ordered their dresses, both bridal and prom, to be able to pick them up. "We hope that with Pratt High School rescheduling their prom to June 13 that we can still help some of the girls find their perfect dress once this is all over," she said. Postponements have become commonplace as the world and state deal with coronavirus. "I have had one bride that has had to postpone her wedding," Gwinn said. "She was set to get married in May and has rescheduled for October. I have had several brides who are set for fall weddings and all are hoping they won't have to do the same. I know that there are certainly more that are having to be rescheduled, or even canceled for the time being, and that's really hard."  |
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