Party Themes

One year, for Labor Day I organized a beach party at the lake. I sent invitations to a bunch of my friends. On the cover of the invitation was a picture of “The Skipper”. The caption above his head read, “Hey, little buddy…” Inside were the details of where, when, and to dress as their favorite castaway from the T.V. show “Gilligan's Island”. I also included a list of what to bring which included meat for the grill and a side dish or dessert to share.

The morning of the party I picked up the tent I rented and put it up over the picnic tables. I covered the tables with island print linens I also rented from the same place. I decorated the tent to look like a bamboo hut with supplies I bought at a party store. I wrapped each set of plastic utensils in a paper napkin making them easy to grab with one hand. I also picked up a bunch of plastic leis and cheap straw hats.

The D.J. I hired had his own dance floor, but I had to rent a mini stage for him to set up on. My boyfriend set up the stage and helped the D.J. bring his sound equipment from the van to the picnic site. Soon he was playing a mix of 60's, 70's and 80's rock. He made the party more of a success by being the emcee for the costume, and limbo contests. His attitude wasn't just professional; he also had a good sense of humor.

At noon, guests started arriving and most were in costume. The food was put on one of the tables in the shade and my boyfriend Joe, fired up the barbeque. I started handing out the leis and straw hats to the guests.

An artist friend of mine came to do face painting, bindi, and caricatures for any of the guests who wanted them. Her designs were very colorful and imaginative. I recognized my some of my friends in the caricatures of Gilligan, The Skipper and Maryann I saw.

At dusk, most of the guests had gone home, but a few of us were still partying when the park ranger drove by in his truck and told us unless we had overnight camping passes we had to leave. Joe later told me, “You know the party is a success when your guests don't want to go home.” It was the best party anyone could remember and now they want to know what I'm going to do next Labor Day.