KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — With the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools have shut down and events have been canceled in an effort to keep people safe and stop the spread.
When Derek Bonzagni saw how disappointed his 7-year-old daughter Sophia was when her elementary school's "Daddy-Daughter Dance" was canceled, he decided to do something special for his little girl.
One night, Sophia's mom, Chelsie, got her out of the bath and told her to go put on the dress she would have worn to the dance with some nice shoes.
"The plan was to have my wife just put the dress on her and just show me, have her come down and just show me," Derek said.
Little did Sophia know her dad had a little bit more in store for her.
He set up lights, a Bluetooth speaker, a karaoke box and a slideshow with photos of the pair in the garage before the big dance and locked the door to make sure neither Sophia nor his 3-year-old son would find it.
After a discreet texting exchange, Chelsie led Sophia to the garage door and hit record on her camera.
When Sophia walked down the stairs, she was greeted by her dad, dressed in a suit, with her favorite song, "Sky Stays This Blue" by Dallas Smith, blasting over the speakers.
"Then my daddy said, 'Welcome to the Daddy-Daughter Dance' and I was so surprised," Sophia said.
She ran into his arms and they got to enjoy their special dance.
"With all of this staying at home and doing the right thing, we're just trying to keep life normal for them," Derek said. "She's a special girl, and I love her very much."