Warren County and Skyline High School Classes of 2021 share a ‘Hollywood Night Under the Stars’

What a long, strange trip the final two years of high school have been for the graduating classes of 2021. Reduced in-school, in-class time, virtual learning at home, and canceled or reduced-capacity athletic and other events once considered business as usual in packed venues. That marks the era of the worldwide Coronavirus Disease-2019 pandemic attributed with the deaths of over 595,000 Americans among nearly 3.5-million fatalities worldwide in about a year and a half.

But with a little parental initiative in cooperation with downtown Front Royal business people and the town government spearheaded by Vice-Mayor Lori Cockrell, Warren County’s graduating classes of 2021 got a Hollywood-themed night to remember “Under the Stars” the evening of Saturday, May 22nd.

Get ready for that Hollywood Red Carpet, Classes of 2021 – you are ALL stars! Royal Examiner Photos by Roger Bianchini

Late Saturday afternoon, Royal Examiner found the organizational hub and information center on that evening’s joint Senior Proms of Skyline and Warren County High Schools in Front Royal’s Village Commons area across East Main Street at White Picket Fence/Key Move Properties. Proprietor Sue Laurence was overseeing the final stages of neighboring C&C Frozen Treats couple Will and Nina Huck’s dressing for Prom Night, while her husband and co-designated prom chaperone Chris was on site across the street as the final touches to a “Hollywood Night Under the Stars” setting, and DJ musical accompaniment was underway for the lucky 7 to 11 p.m. Prom Night extravaganza.

White Picket Fence’s Sue Laurence helps occupy downtown business neighbor C&C Frozen Treats Will Huck as his wife Nina puts on the final touches to her prom dress nearby. Below, ‘Not so deep’ Will mugs as Nina pins his prom corsage on.

We asked the co-organizer and Downtown Ice Cream Man, Will Huck, about the impetus for the evening’s outdoor prom night. He explained that following the public school system’s early decision not to have proms due to the still-strict pandemic guidelines at the time, it was parents of graduating seniors who took the initiative to try and facilitate some kind of open-air-site event where social distancing requirements could be met.

“Since the guidelines have changed, and they only recently changed,” Huck observed of a CDC softening of pandemic precautions as over two-thirds of the nation is now reported having received a COVID-19 vaccination, “there wasn’t enough time for the schools to change direction because they said they weren’t going to be doing proms early on. And some citizens, some local mothers of some seniors reached out, came in, and wanted to put this together, and I said ‘Sure’. So, we moved along the process, working with the Town and the community. This is a community event,” Huck pointed out.

This early-arriving couple is ‘framed’ by an empty ‘Discover Front Royal’ billboard stand.

As to the establishment of the Town Commons area between the Gazebo and new Pavilion at the East Main-Chester Street downtown central intersection, Huck noted, “Lori Cockrell brought up the idea at a town council meeting back in February. And when we knew the pavilion was going to be built, I said, yes, we need to do it, and we need to do it on Main Street, and we need to utilize the new pavilion. So, we have it sanctioned over here and laid out where it’s going to be an elegant prom contained into the parking lot area of the Gazebo.

A ‘red-carpet’ entry was set up at the Laura Virginia Hale Dr. entrance to the parking lot adjacent to the new pavilion where the DJ was set up. Below, but when you’re in White Tie you don’t need a red carpet.

In fact, it was the student’s parents who helped the process along financially and organizationally, Nina Huck observed. “The parents came in and brought water and sodas and gave money. It was 20 dollars here, 50 dollars here, 20 dollars here … We had snacks donated by parents, they would just bring them in and drop them off – they didn’t want any credit. They just wanted to have stuff for the kids to be able to do it. So, it was very much the community coming together, and it’s very humbling to see that happen,” Nina concluded.

“This is a community of our two schools coming together for this special occasion – to make this happen for our seniors who have had a rough year,” Nina’s husband observed of the pandemic-mitigating restrictions through 2020 and the seniors’ final semester of 2021.

Enjoy these additional scenes, including some ‘BAD’ (that means good) group dancing, of Saturday evening’s joint Warren County and Skyline High Schools “Old Hollywood Night Under the Stars” Prom night – Classes of 2021, you earned it!!

Above and below, respective school ‘tickets of admission’

Some more red carpet entrances

The red carpet has officially been cleared for prom use by county law enforcement, which provided security for the event.

More arrivals stop for the Royal Examiner camera as the prom gets underway.

Skyline lays claim to one Hollywood red carpet.

Relaxing under the trees, and below under the tree stars

Above, I think you got here just in time; below, I think the music’s about to kick it up a notch.

Uh oh, somebody called a drone in to keep a sky-eye on the dancing.

And with a nod to those who volunteered to chaperone and help organize – that drone may not be the only thing to fly out of here, Nina … (This story will be updated if the information on the respective school Prom King and Queen elections becomes available).

UPDATE: Not showing any favoritism, but posted in order received: above, Skyline King and Queen Andy Nguyen and Lillian Harryman; below, Warren County King and Queen Austin Herring and Clara Sanchez. Also, the prom’s musical inspiration was provided by DJ Brandon Rutherford. Is that you, Brandon, peaking over Wildcat Queen Sanchez’s shoulder? – I believe it is. Courtesy Photos Prom Organizers