A sports party that includes the whole family? You bet. And everybody will have fun. DIY Family Entertaining host Belma Johnson takes you through it from start to finish. - Make the invitation fun and lively: design one that looks like an admission ticket, or attach the invitation to a shaker in team colors. Ask guests to come in team colors. Send invitations out early: big games have a way of getting booked fast.
- Make decorating a snap with sports paraphernalia. Pennants, pompons, jerseys, helmets and equipment can be scattered throughout the party room. Coordinate balloons and streamers to team colors -- or use a completely different color scheme.
- For convenience and continuous grazing, a buffet is ideal (figure A). Sports parties can last a long time, so have plenty of food on hand. Think about including hot dogs, popcorn, nachos, cheese squares and other ballpark food.
Johnson describes how one hostess used the game to provide the schedule for dinner: she served appetizers in the first quarter, salad in the second, the main course in the third and dessert in the fourth. What would a sports party be without a lot of other games to spur competition and help fill in the slow periods during time-outs and half-time? When your guests arrive, give each one a ribbon to wear during the evening. Hand out ribbons of two different colors, and those who are wearing the same color form a team. During breaks, the teams compete in a variety of games -- sports-trivia contests, solving scrambled-letter sports terms, charades. The games are fun and brief; they include everyone but don't interfere with the main event. Keep score on a large sheet of poster board (figure B), and at the end of the evening, give the winning team a gift. A betting pool is always fun, but keep it low -- no more than a dollar per bet. You can bet on everything, including the attendance. Give party favors such as plastic footballs, plastic helmets filled with chocolate footballs or large plastic cups with each guest's name printed on the side (figure C). Tips: - Tie everything into the theme. The decorations, invitations, entertainment and food become part of the concept and help make your party memorable.
- Obviously the host can't sit and watch the game from beginning to end. You'll be greeting guests, cleaning up spills or getting supplies from the kitchen. To make sure you don't miss anything, tape the game and watch it after the party.
RESOURCES :
Pick a Party: The Big Book of Party Themes and Occasions
Model: 0671521233
Author: Patty Sachs
(September 1997); 204 pages
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