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PHOTO ESSAY:
A LOVE STORY

In a sea of vibrant red leather, only a few seats in the theater are occupied. The bright multicolored movie lights reflect on the faces of the lone patrons.

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A couple sits in two of the four occupied seats. Down the row are their mothers, both invested in the movie.

As the couple’s hands intertwine, the two rest their heads against one another. After a few scenes pass, the couple looks at each other, beaming.

 

They are happy. It’s a Tuesday.

 

It’s date day.

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Katie Masser, 27, and Matt Poe, 30, have been dating since March of 2022 and are currently engaged. Both Katie and Matt are people with Down syndrome and met following an isolating couple of years due to the pandemic. Prior to meeting, Katie’s mother, Amy Masser, and Matt’s mother, Leslie Poe, were trying to find activities where they could reintroduce their children to the environment around them. However, the resources available for people with special needs in Frederick County were sparse following the pandemic, according to Amy.

 

Upon meeting Leslie and Matt unexpectedly while grocery shopping, Amy invited them to the "Special Needs Dance Party." This was a dance class offered in Walkersville, Maryland where Amy had been taking Katie for months. This would soon become Katie and Matt’s first date, and the two have been in love since. While Katie and Matt have been together, Leslie and Amy have formed a strong friendship as well. Both Leslie and Amy are single parents and are constantly working to make the best lives they can for Matt and Katie.

Matt and his fiancée, Katie, center, dance with their friend Katherine White, their dance classmate, during an Alive@5 performance at Carroll Creek Amphitheater in Frederick, Md., on Thursday, July 20, 2023.
Katie Masser, left, dances with her fiancé Matt Poe to the song “Love is an Open Door” from the film, “Frozen” in the kitchen of the Poe household in Frederick, Md., on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. The first time Matt and Katie got engaged, the two were singing this song. Whenever they dance along to the song together, Matt proposes to Katie all over again to show how much he still loves her. 
Amy Masser, left, talks with Leslie Poe in the kitchen of the Poe household in Frederick, Md., on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. While every Tuesday is “date day” for Matt and Katie, this is the time when Leslie and Amy get to spend time together.
Katie Masser, left, and her mother, Amy Masser, share a moment together as Katie takes a break from a basketball open gym in Frederick, Md., on Thursday, March 30, 2023. On Thursdays, Katie and Matt attend an open gym with a majority of their dance classmates.
Katie Masser, left, and Matt Poe wave pompoms during a dance class in Walkersville, Md., on Thursday, March 30, 2023.
Matt Poe shares a kiss with Katie Masser as the two lay underneath a multicolored parachute during the “Special Needs Dance Party” in Walkersville, Md., on March 30, 2023. At the end of the dance session, members of the class have opportunity to play with the parachute. Every week, Matt and Katie choose to lay underneath.
Katie Masser, 27, left, holds hands with her fiancé Matt Poe, 31, as the two watch a film at Regal Westview in Frederick, Md., on April 18, 2023. The two visit the theater every Tuesday for their weekly “date day.” They are chaperoned on their dates by Katie’s mother, Amy Masser, and Matt’s mother, Leslie Poe. 
Participants dance in the dance class in Walkersville, Md., on Thursday, June 15, 2023.
Katie Masser embraces Matt Poe after accepting his proposal again in the kitchen of the Poe household in Frederick, Md., on Tuesday, April 4, 2023.
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