Private proms during pandemic: 'Footloose' or loose cannons?

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Bedford High School canceled its senior prom, and a persistent pandemic means prospects for dances to be held this fall are slim to none.

But nearly 100 recent grads got dressed up last weekend for a private prom, one of several held around the country just as the debate over safely reopening schools ramps up.

In some places still ravaged by the virus, plans were called off. In New Hampshire, at least, officials are largely staying out of the way as long as organizers and participants follow distancing guidelines meant to keep the coronavirus in check.

“We’re asking folks to be smart about it, but I’m not going to be the guy in ‘Footloose’ who says, ‘No dancing in my town,’” Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican, said last month.

New Hampshire rules for wedding and event venues don’t prohibit dancing but strongly discourage it unless dancers stick with members of their own household or remain 6 feet (2 meters) apart.

In Missouri, Jefferson City High School seniors organized their own June 30 prom after their original event was canceled. In Michigan, Chippewa Valley High School parents have scheduled a combined prom, after party and senior awards banquet for Wednesday.

But plans to host private proms were abandoned this month in Montana and Georgia amid rising numbers of COVID-19 infections. And health officials in Illinois said 10 people associated with an “unofficial prom” held at a home in June later tested positive for the virus.

The Bedford High prom was held Saturday in a tent at the Stonebridge Country Club in Goffstown. While more than 300 seniors graduated, attendance was capped at 100 tickets, and not all were sold.

Carol Justic, whose daughter attended and who was there herself as a chaperone, said she had initial...