A prom after all

FAIRFIELD – It might be a bit odd to hold a high school prom in the middle of summer, long after classes were dismissed, but it's a welcome return to normalcy for students at Fairfield High School.

Summer Lisk, mother of FHS junior Autumn Lisk, has spearheaded a drive to organize a prom for the students after the district first delayed the prom from April to June and then canceled it altogether. Lisk and a group of other parents are putting on a prom parade at 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 21, which will start at the Fairfield High School and end at Quality Inn & Suites, formerly known as Best Western. Bleachers will be available for members of the public to sit in.

The parade will be the classic red-carpet variety where students pull up in their decked-out cars, trucks and even tractors. For years, the FHS prom involved a parade from the high school to the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center, where they were met with a red carpet and scores of onlookers gathered outside the building. But the last couple of years have seen the high school get away from that model and opt for a parade and dance fully within the high school gymnasium. Lisk said the high school boys missed the old parade where they could show off their rides, which is why she's brought it back for 2020.

The dance at Quality Inn & Suites will start at 9 p.m. and end at midnight, followed by a hypnotist from midnight to 1 a.m. Lisk said she's thrilled to give the high school students a prom, after the junior class spent the school year raising money for the after-prom, which she was in charge of at the beginning of the year. Usually, the high school is in charge of running the prom, and a separate after-prom committee runs the after-prom party. But after the high school canceled the prom, and several other people backed out of it, Lisk took charge of organizing both events.

'I'm a determined person, and I make things happen,” she said. 'I have an upcoming senior myself, and I know how important it is for the kids. I wanted the kids to know I was fighting for them.”

Since the after-prom committee had been raising money throughout the year, Lisk already had money for a number of prizes. She said every junior and senior who attends the prom this year will walk away with a prize.

And why hold it on a Tuesday? Initially, Lisk hoped to hold the prom at the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center, and Tuesday, July 21, was the only day available. Unfortunately, that plan had to change because the arts center announced it would remain closed for events until Aug. 1, forcing Lisk to find another venue. Lisk was able to secure a spot at Quality Inn & Suites, and since she was already changing the venue, she didn't want to make the parents and students even more confused by changing the date, so she kept it on a Tuesday.

'I had a small window in which to do this,” Lisk said. 'I waited on the governor to release new rules, because I wanted to feel good about what I was doing.”

What about the COVID-19 pandemic? Lisk doesn't see it as being a problem, since the high school students have already been hanging out all summer. Though she didn't consult with Jefferson County Public Health on whether to hold such a gathering, she has covered her bases in other ways. The hotel's ball room can hold up to 300 people, but Lisk wanted to cap attendance at 150 to ensure that students could practice social distancing at least somewhat. So far, 92 FHS students have signed up to participate in Tuesday's prom. She also had the students and parents sign a waiver about how the organizers are not responsible if somebody gets sick at the event.

'I just want as much normalcy as we can get,” Lisk said. 'With 92 kids signing up, I'm really pleased with that number considering a lot of people are on vacation and a lot of stuff is going on.”