2 Tri-Cities DJs offer a virtual prom to make up for canceled senior dances

George Penn normally plays music for two or three proms each graduation season, but the coronavirus outbreak means that isn’t happening this year.

The Tri-City high schools normally hold their proms starting in late April through mid May, but school closures and limitations on the number of people at events means students could miss out on this rite of passage.

“It broke my heart a couple of weeks ago when I saw the seniors in their camps and gowns,” said Penn, who goes by the stage name DJ Scramble. “It really hit home that these students are missing out on everything that we had.”

So he teamed up with fellow DJ Ryan Snell and Jeff Jacobs from 107.3 The Beat to create a virtual prom from 8 to 11 p.m. on Saturday, May 9.

All students need to participate is the internet or radio. The event will be broadcast through the streaming platform Twitch at twitch.tv/djscramble and on 107.3.

Penn, who started providing tunes for school dances in 1985, has set up in a warehouse complete with screens and a cameras.

He plans to open the event, but DJ Snell will headline the event, he said. While he said it can’t compare with having a giant party with all of your friends, Penn wants to do as much as possible to replicate the event.

This includes having a students send photos of themselves in their formal attire and their song requests. He plans to have those photos on a scroll so people can see them

“In my mind, it’s a way we can give back to the community,” Penn said.

He is encouraging people to remain safe and don’t have large gatherings.

When Jacobs heard about the virtual prom, he signed up to help with rebroadcasting it. Penn said this will let people who might not have access to a computer or internet to participate.

The event also has a Facebook group at Virtual Prom 2020.