Since freshman year, the Cape Elizabeth High School class of 2008 has been raising money to host this year’s junior/senior prom. Now, just months away from the date of the dance, their venue has gone under and taken the $2,500 deposit with it.

Junior Carolyn Doane, head of the high school’s prom committee, said a local florist tipped the school off to the closing of The Pavilion, a nightclub and entertainment venue on Middle Street in Portland. The Cape Elizabeth prom was scheduled to take place there on May 12, a date Doane called “the perfect date” because it didn’t interfere with any other school events. Doane said the class was having a hard time finding another venue that is not booked for that date, and if the date is changed, some athletes or musicians may not be able to attend their due to prior commitments.

And then there is the issue of the money. According to Doane, The Pavilion never called to tell the school about closing and management hasn’t returned any phone calls since the students found out on their own. Doane said a lawyer is looking into the case.

“It was a real big shock,” said Doane, who is also a member of the student council, which is in charge of the fundraising. Every year, the junior class raises the money to host the prom for the senior class. Doane said that fundraisers included selling Cape Elizabeth water bottles and sweatpants and hosting two dances during the school year.

Despite the setbacks, Doane remains optimistic. “I’m not scared it won’t happen,” she said. One possible venue is a Kennebunkport hotel owned by the mother of a Cape student. Doane said the dance has been penciled in to a few other venues as well.

“I’m really excited for it and I know a lot of other people are, too,” she said. “It’s a big deal.”

Cape Elizabeth is not the only school left without a prom location with the closure of The Pavilion. According to reports, Thornton Academy was also scheduled to hold its prom at the club, and that school has also lost its deposit.

For more on this story, see the March 8 issue of the Current.

Copy the Story Link