Coastal Parties
by Sari Mitchell

Here in Santa Cruz County, our summers have two faces: breezy, often with grey cotton fog, and super crackling hot! Whatever the weather that day, or morning, or afternoon, the best place for a birthday, anniversary, reunion, or any family party is at home. You can find, matches, bandaids, jackets, mustard, or almost anything you need. And, you don’t have to pack stuff into the park, hall or restaurant, and “still not find the candles!”

Cooler days, you can kindle body heat with active games like sack races, tug of war, “the limbo,” “hokey pokey,” jump rope and more. Despite so-called “sophisticated maturity,” adults and teens are often drawn- in, and soon the tug-of-war is pretty intense!

Your local feed store or stable would be glad to donate empty feed sacks, a great chance to help them recycle. Most larger hardware stores carry inch and a quarter “truck rope” at about a dollar a foot. (This rope is slightly softer, easier on the palms, and a little cheaper, too.)

Nothing cools like water on a scorching afternoon: kids wading pools, your own real pool, garden hose fights, and an armory of water balloons, water guns, and blasters for older kids (who should be reminded not to aim at the face). That’s about all the entertainment you could ever want, especially if it serves to water the lawn.

Successful hosts and hostesses say “put on the music and put out the appetizers right away.” Let your guests, especially the “early birds”, feel they have arrived at an event in progress.

Clean-up is greener, swifter, and more rewarding if you set out 33 or 40 galloon fresh garbage cans with liners, for recycling glass and aluminum, compost waste (cake scraps, etc.) and trash such as dirty plates, cups, napkins, etc. to be carted away. Keep the music beat going while you do clean-up, and enjoy the afterglow of a truly warm and successful party.

~ Sari Mitchell has been a performer and party-planner for her company, Most Unique Parties and Ponies for the past twenty years. She is glad to share some of her observations on party planning, and would love to hear your suggestions.