By TIM KELLY
It was the lost Prom. Or was it?
Last Friday, on the afternoon of what would have been Ocean City High School’s Prom night at the Flanders Hotel, Katie Bowman arrived home from her run in a “bummed out” mood, according to her mom, Jennifer Bowman.
The Prom had previously been wiped out, along with the spring sports season, After Prom, Senior Week, autographing yearbooks, and, of course, commencement exercises.
The OCHS students had come to grips with the situation’s reality weeks ago following Gov. Phil Murphy’s sheltering-in-place order and closing of schools statewide in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
But somehow, the warm weather and bright sunshine that day seemed to make the Prom’s cancellation more cruel for Katie, a junior three-sport varsity athlete (field hockey, swimming and lacrosse) at OCHS.
“Katie came home on Friday and was really upset,” Jennifer Bowman said. “It was a beautiful day for a Prom and there were so many people in town. It just seemed like things were back to normal, but we all know they aren’t yet.”
The state had reopened beaches, boardwalks and parks, which drew thousands of visitors and second homeowners to Ocean City, creating what would have been a festive vibe for Prom and After Prom. Instead, there was lingering disappointment, and understandably.
So what was a mom to do? In the case of Jennifer Bowman, it was simple: get back to basics in the parent-offspring dynamic.
“I went into ‘Mom mode,’” she related.
That mode is pretty powerful stuff since Jennifer Bowman has been a creative force and After Prom co-chair with Charlie for seven years alongside Amy and Bill Holmes.
“First we needed a ‘Promposal,’ which her dad (Charlie Bowman) happily supplied and Katie accepted, Jennifer said.
“I was really excited,” Katie said, “for myself and for my cousin (Brynn Bowman) who had lost her senior year Prom.”
Brynn, a graduating senior headed to Stockton University, was asked to the Mom Prom by her dad Bill, who escorted her along with mom Andrea.
Katie’s hair was done by her older sister, Caroline, a biology teacher at Mainland, and both cousins donned prom dresses that had already been purchased in anticipation of the canceled Prom.
“The rest kind of fell into place,” Jennifer said.
The girls arrived in the front yard “ballroom” and walked along an imaginary red carpet with their dad dates and an audience of Katie’s grandparents, family members and friends. Caroline used her smart speaker to supply the music.
Neighbor Catherine Dunn was the official photographer and took pictures for posterity and social media.
A daddy-daughter dance “brought tears to our eyes,” Jennifer said.
From there it was a change out of the Prom dresses and into more casual duds for “After Prom” in the back yard, and a crab legs and shrimp dinner with all the trimmings.
After playing some games, Katie “won” a TV and Brynn a surfboard.
“We just found stuff around the house for the prizes and used our imagination,” Katie said. “It was nice to be a part of and made me feel a lot better. It was really a special thing mom did for us.”
“Mom mode” mission accomplished.
