Event Ideas and Planning for Young Adults

The point of this post is share ideas for events I’ve had in the past and am planning on in the future for small references if you are trying or currently putting together social get togethers. Just scroll down and learn what you want.

For background, my events are for Lutheran adults in their 20’s and 30’s to meet each other, socialize and just have fun, but can be applied to a lot of different groups.

Past events:

· Wine & Cheese party: We paid for a wine & cheese connoisseur to come and share 4 wines and cheeses from France (not too expensive, if you have a few hundred dollar budget. Try researching wines & cheeses yourself and pick them up at specialty stores to save money). While our guests were sampling, she would explain things like what region the grapes and cheese were from and what the process was to make them. To lighten things up we brought a Wii and projected it on the wall so people could play Mario Kart or Wii Tennis.

· Wine & Wii: Sticking with the wine theme, we asked all of our guests (around 20) to bring their favorite cheap wine. We handed out sheets so everyone could rate each other’s’ wine and a winner was selected casually. Once again, there was Wii; it was a good opportunity for our guests to get excited and meet each other.

· Think ‘N Wing: This was our trivia event. I gathered trivia from the internet into 4 different categories (10 questions each): TV doctors, 80’s, sports and pop culture. It’s challenging to know what questions to pick; you don’t want them to be too easy or hard. About ¼ of the questions I knew myself and ¾ were questions I didn’t know and that was a pretty good gauge of how others did. I picked up a few buckets of chicken wings from a popular pub and told people to bring their own booze while I provided non-alcoholic drinks. Bring paper and pen per team keeping in mind you’ll probably want every team to have a new sheet of paper for every trivia round. Once everyone was seated in teams, which I let them pick, but maybe assign people teams so they can get to meet new people. I read the questions off my laptop and played music from my iTunes after each question for about one minute to drown out team conversations. The prizes for the winning team were gift cards and we also had a $1 raffle for 2 pairs of 2 baseball tickets.

· Red, White & Blue BBQ: This was a simple get together; there was just eating and socializing. I got hot dogs and burgers and took orders of what people wanted right when they arrived. I also had potato salad from Sam’s Club and BBQ potato chips. Decorations were minimal; I used what I already had in the house besides checkered tablecloths. Red, white & blue candles in festive candle holders were nice because I wanted an outdoor vibe even though we were inside due to heat. I tried to stay away from confetti and wall decorations; I could go nuts with that stuff, but I wanted this to still seem like an adult party.

· Nacho-Mama’s Bingo: I purchased a cheap bingo set knowing I would probably use it for future events and we played about 7 rounds of bingo (the rounds go by fast). I had a prize for each round winner, which included $5 gift certificates from Panera, Starbucks, Oberweiss etc. and I let people pick which one they wanted. I ordered quesadillas and make-yourself tacos from Chevy’s, which also came with a lot of chips and salsa. For good measure, I made Rotel, Italian sausage and Velvetta nacho dip in my crock pot and set it out for people to ladle. Guests brought their own drinks and everyone socialized after bingo.

· Oktoberfest: This event changed a few days prior due to the Cardinal’s playoff game so we had to arrange for the game to be projected on the wall from my friend’s computer, which the guests appreciated. Everyone brought their own drinks (beer was encouraged). I provided fall inspired desserts from our local bakery like mini pumpkin pies, caramel apples and ginger cookies. I also ordered pretzels and a party dip from a local pretzel place, which was great because you get a lot of pretzels in the group packs for cheap. My decorations were minimal, but anything “fall” goes: pumpkins, gourds, candy corn, etc. You could also do a specialty beer tasting instead of a wine tasting.

Future events:

· November Potluck: For this event, I asked guests to bring an entrée (homemade, store bought or carry-out). I will provide drinks and desserts that way I won’t have ten people bring pumpkin pie. I wanted to try mini-games for this event so I will have a tiny pumpkin with a sticker on the bottom for every guest attending. I ordered a relevant mug ($15) off the internet to give as a prize because I will call out a matching sticker to one of the pumpkins; the person with that pumpkin wins the prize. I have also created a half sheet of paper with a Thanksgiving matching game on one side and a harvest word scramble on the other. I will assign people teams at the beginning of the night; each team will get a paper and while eating can complete the quiz. Whichever team gets the most answers right wins gift certificates.

· Christmas Bunco: At this event, each guest will be asked to bring a wrapped Christmas ornament around $5. If you have a large, even amount of guests bunco is great fun; it’s easy to learn, teach, moves people around and gets them excited. Everyone walks away with a unique ornament and decorations and food can be amazing. I’ve decided not to do dinner since people will be moving every few minutes, but to have hot chocolate, cookies. Festive M&M’s or candies on each table are always fun. I grew up playing this game with my school class and everyone’s ornament was put under a tree. Each time someone gets a “bunco” they get to pick a present from under the tree. Directions on how to play bunco are here: http://www.ehow.com/how_14930_play-bunco.html

· Winter Trivia: Trivia was so popular the first time that I decided it would be great to have every few months. There will be categories like winter weather, holiday origins, pop culture, holiday movies and maybe holiday songs. Instead of just reading questions from my lap top, I will create powerpoint slides for each question; this will make for more interesting pop culture, movie and music rounds because I can utilize more visuals. I’m not sure about food and drinks yet, but I want to have warm refreshments (literally and figuratively) so hot chocolate, tea or decaf coffee, maybe soup or stew, macaroni & cheese, warm breads or pies etc. I feel like sticking to comfort foods will be best since guests will probably have to brave the cold to come and they want something heartening when they arrive. For decorations, I will probably stick with a snowflake, silver and gold theme for more of a New Years vibe.

· Minute to Win it Fundraiser: Details are still being hashed out, but I wanted to try a fundraising event. We are too small of a group to do an auction of some sort. I decided we’ll do a “Minute to Win it” type contest. Guests will pay $10 at the door to compete and all money will go to a relevant charity. I will set up three stations each featuring different mini-game from the competition TV show that anyone can find online. There will be as many rounds as we need to determine the big winner. The prize will be something bigger than we’ve ever done before and I’m also considering having 2 runner up prizes. This event, however, will take a lot of prep time and runs to your local Target for all supplies.

Tips:

· To optimize budget, buy all white (or one color) plates/cups/utensils for every event. Themed plates are fun, but if you have leftover Halloween plates for example, you won’t be able to use them for future events.

· For budget, utilize dollar stores for favors, decorations, etc.

· I’m always tempted to use nametags because I never seem to catch peoples’ names, but avoid nametags if possible.

· Try to assign people to groups or teams; create common & fun goals for strangers so people get to meet if that is your event’s goal.

· If you don’t know everyone attending, set out an attendance list. Allow guests to put their name and email (if they want) on the list so you have a record of how many people were there and you have emails if you decide to send invitations for future events digitally.

· Let the seasons or events in your town inspire your event planning. Since my events are once a month, I’m fortunate to pick obvious themes according to holidays and temperatures. Let’s say you have Oktoberfest, an art fair, or Cheese Festival in your town, tie that in with your events to make them unique.

· Try to personalize prizes instead of doing gift cards or cash every time. There are a ton of options online for mugs, shirts, pens, gift baskets, play/movie tickets…the sky is the limit; your guests will appreciate your creativity.

Invitations: Since I throw community events, I use flyers and not really invitations. However, flyers are a lot cheaper and typically use less ink if you’re printing them from home.

· For flyers, I use Adobe InDesign and Photoshop, but have also used Microsoft Word, it just has less design options, but still pretty good.

· Make something on the page pop, it could be the font, color or a picture to get attention or use all three without being tacky.

· Obviously, you want to include the name of the event, date/time, location, and RSVP information, but I also include if the guests have to bring something, if there will be specific foods or drinks there already (I try to be descriptive like saying blueberry lemonade or ice cream bar (jazz your words up!)) and that they should invite friends if you want them to.

· If you’re trying to invite anyone and everyone make sure to utilize marketing tactics. I email my flyers to the offices of all Lutheran churches in the area and our seminary; all of these churches have bulletin boards and pamphlets for announcements. Make sure you get your flyer out at least two weeks prior to your event, but the sooner the better. If you are emailing people in the community make sure they are aware of your goal for these events and encourage them to get on board. I also started a Facebook group. This is great because you can automatically invite people into the group. You can post updates and make your event within the group, post pictures from past events and create polls to ask for feedback.

· Include if there will be any prizes or free food on the invitation; it’s a good incentive for people to come. We were lucky enough to have a church member donate some of their season tickets to Cardinals games for three events. It made guests excited and playfully competitive.

Location:

· Centralize: Make sure your location is a place that all guests can get to around and under 20 minutes. Especially if these events are on week nights the last thing a guest with a full time job wants to do after sitting through traffic is drive 30 minutes to the event location.

· All of my events have been in the meeting hall at my church; it’s very convenient since there is an attached kitchen and all of the tables and chairs I could need not to mention a large parking lot. Houses are the next best thing or maybe a quiet bar that has an offset or private party room.

Any questions or feedback?

A Trans-Touchy Subject

First off, I'm going to try to handle this topic with care because it's one you can't just research to understand, you have to be in the skin of the person who knows.

I'm sure a lot of you have heard about the Chaz Bono controversy on Dancing With The Stars. For this post, I think it's best to leave out the homosexual aspect of transgender people because it will make my points more confusing and isn't necessary.

Society has clear definitions of male and female: the male has XY chromosomes, the female XX and both have corresponding genitalia. What makes us male or female isn't just based on how we look; it's sewn into every cell of our bodies. There's no changing it. Then we have the categories of men and women, which used to be synonymous with male and female, but the once black and white groupings have been blurred to create a gray area.

For example, there is no right or wrong to being female, you just are or are not, but society tells us there are degrees of being a woman or man. Men are still the primary breadwinners; they chop wood and fix leaking pipes. Women still typically cook and clean and wear clothes that show off our curves and cleavage. So if you are a man that can't mow the lawn or even grow a good beard for example, you are seen as less of a man. I respect this system, but I also resent it at the same time. I love being a woman in every aspect, but it does get old to be categorized by my gender.

This brings me back around to the transgender topic. The message of this decade seems to be love yourself the way you were born; it's okay to be different unless you're genuinely a crappy person or have different ideologies. My first instinct is to say that having ten and up surgeries to outwardly change who you are, physically, is going against this love your body lecture. In fact, most plastic surgery brings to question the idea of self-hate and if it's "right". However, changing one's gender seems like a much higher degree of non-acceptance than just a nosejob. Thinking deeper though, men or women that have these procedures say that since childhood they have felt like the other gender, which I'll admit is a hard concept for everyone else to grasp. After all, how do they know what being the opposite gender is like? A five year old boy can wear his mother's heels and lipstick, but he can't say from then on he wants to be a woman; there is so much more to it than that. Just like a 13 year old girl still has yet to learn what being a woman means. At this time, I would pull the period and having babies card, but being a woman goes beyond that as well!

This is where I start to get testy (definitly no pun intended, sorry :( ). I truly believe that no matter how many times women and men communicate there will still be a lack of understanding of the opposite gender. Yes, we're equal, but we're not always alike. Men that want to be women that think all it takes is to have surgeries and inject estrogen everyday will never have an idea of what it's truly like to be a woman. So it upsets me that because they have a new pair of breasts and cry a lot, they think they know what it's like; it's not all about make-up, frilly tops and heels (technically, it's sexist to think so).

I feel sad because I wish they could have been born the way they wanted. I wish I was born with blue eyes, but instead got these big ol' cow eyes. And women wanting to be men can change themselves on the outside to match how they feel on the inside and if they think they understand men good for them, but I still think men are an enigma.

People that take on these procedures, I'm sure, are scared of such a big transition and despite their gender, hair color, nose, breasts, etc. God loves them. I'm not saying go out and be friends with every transgender person; I'm saying don't care. I don't care that Chaz Bono is on television. I don't think it's going to screwup children; I thought Michael Jackson was a woman when I was young and here I stand, still a little confused, but a functioning human being none the less. I think that so many people (maybe just the media????) making such a big deal about it is the real big deal.

All in all, I'm trying to make a larger statement; I'm more of a black and white kind of person. It doesn't make me bad or hateful. Gray area distresses me, always has. It seems like every mainstream thought like "love yourself" has to be given 100 exceptions like 'love yourself only after you've had surgery to become the real you'. What do you agree or disagree with?

This Might Sound Snobby, But...

Guys/Kanye West throw around the term "gold digger" all the time, referring to a woman who marries for riches, not love. Personally, I would never marry a man for his money if I didn't love him. If he had a job that paid well say as a CEO or physicist and THEN I fell in love with him it's not my fault that he just happened to be in a very nice financial situation. Of course, it always looks more honorable if a woman marries the geeky highschool sweetheart and then he becomes the next Bill Gates; that woman's just a lucky ho.

Guys also need to understand that while most girls aren't gold diggers some of us are already aquainted with a certain lifestyle, which is completely our parent's fault. Sooo sorry our moms took us to William Sonoma and Neiman Marcus since we were four. I know I'm setting women back 50 years by saying this, but the first time I saw that pastel pink mixer with matching bowls and spatula from William Sonoma I was going to marry a man who could maintain that level of class in our home dammit. Even when my mother took me to Target or Walgreens I would still have to come home and try not to touch the Waterford crystal vases and gold laced Lennox plates.

Would I be happy living in a shack if it were with the man of my dreams? Of course, but it's safe to say the man of my dreams won't be a loser and I plan on working so with combined incomes I should at least expect a quaint and stylish abode. Stylish because the Martha Stewart collections are sold at KMart (spelling?) and Macy's. I love Martha. Peace out.

A Heavenly Inquiry

As a Christian, I believe in heaven obviously, but regardless of how people get there, we don't know what to expect when we actually arrive. Apparently, heaven is absolute paradise. So I'm wondering if that means a general paradise. For instance, a soft sandy beach in front of a vast ocean of Brita filtered water, silver clouds and lounge chairs with velvet cushions. Who wouldn't think that's paradise? Or would heaven be more subjective? My idea of paradise would probably be a beach in front of aqua colored water off a fresh water lake in the Scottish Highlands, but without the seasonal snow and rain. I would want a large cabana with many hammocks and an endless supply of Cheez-its, cookies, white russians and chicken wings. I would also need my family and friends on hands for endlessly fun activities.

However, since we are all supposed to be "perfect" in heaven, I'm guessing we won't be confined by earthly senses and desires. For example, heavenly inhabitants will always be happy with the way heaven smells; we won't get to heaven and be upset that it smells like apple pie and snap our fingers so it smells like vanilla. So would we get to partake in our favorite things from earth? It's hard to imagine a place where every simple thing is so perfect (walking, communicating) we might not need anything else to be completely happy.

Also, if everyone is going to be the best versions of themselves does that mean the people that are genuinly annoying, loud, arrogant, bitchy etc. still going to be that way? My thoughts are they will be just no one will judge them for it.

The pastor that "confirmed" me told my class that our bodies will be so flawless we won't even recognize our spouse, friends or siblings. What he said kind of makes sense, but that's a difficult thought to deal with. He makes heaven sound like a lonely and unfamiliar place. Our question back was why would God gift us with people we say we can't live without to only take that away after we die?

No doubt, heaven will be an amazing place, but it is only natural to be skeptical and filled with anxiety thinking about one of the largest and generalized topics of all time.

The Body Worlds Controversy

I’m sure everyone has heard about the Body Worlds exhibit by now. The exhibit features donated bodies that have gone through the process of "plastination", which replaces all water and fats in the body with plastic. Some bodies are contorted so it appears they are playing cards, jumping etc.; other bodies have been sliced (I wish I could have used a better word) to show body interiors like the cross section of a healthy lung versus that of a smoker’s lung. The reason defending the exhibit is that it is artistic, educational and will give viewers a greater respect for the human body.

I attended the exhibit when it came to the St. Louis Science Center in 2007 much to my mother's chagrin. She had a firm religious argument against it, saying that our bodies are a gift from God and that we were made in his image and are disrespected if mutilated and put on display, which I understand. While I also recognize what Gunther Van Hagens (the developer of plastination) is trying to express with his collections, I believe that the arguments against Body Worlds outweigh the benefits.

All bodies in the exhibit are claimed to have been from people who consented that their bodies be plastinated and presented. At the exhibit they display said documents as proof, however, the wording seemed vague and probably wouldn't pass by a lawyer. Rumors indicate that some bodies were used without consent and stolen as is the claim with bodies of Chinese prisoners. Van Hagen denies this, but for good measure returned six bodies in question back to China anyway. "Consent" is a key word nowadays, but I can't help but get a funny feeling about people consenting to the process of plastination. I've heard that as we get older we feel more comfortable thinking and talking about death. My grandma has no problem with discussing her desire to be cremated, which I have no qualms with, unless it is someone in my direct family. Since I am personally very skittish about plastination, I have no idea why anyone would want this to happen to their body after they die. I mean, do you know what they do to these bodies? It’s stuff out of a horror film! Imagine the killers from Texas Chainsaw Massacre and House of Wax doing what they want to your body after you die…Ya, it’d be exactly like that. I can understand donating ones’ organs or body to a university or hospital, but it's another to donate your body to this exhibit to be "science" for a bunch of giggling 13 year olds (No offense to 13 year olds; I think you contribute greatly to society, but you and other teenagers do giggle too much).

Van Hagens wants viewers to respect the human body through his exhibit and while there is a guaranteed high amount of 'Ooo's and Ahhh's' I think it would be fair to say 98% of someone's respect for life doesn't come from a visit to Body Worlds. Kids get hurt; their knees get scraped or fingers cut. They put a Band-Aid on and in a few days they're healed and I don't know about anyone else, but I was like "Holy! I have magical healing!" I learned I wasn't magical; my body, just like almost everyone else’s, fixes itself. A simple science class can teach people that when your eyes are dry the ocular ducts create tears. Your body takes pizza or broccoli or milk and sends it all over your body to be used as energy, nourishment and growth. Everyone who has taken a gym class knows that you need to stretch and warm the leg and arm muscles like a rubber band. Body Worlds only physically shows us what we already know; our bodies may look simply constructed from the outside, but are actually comprised of complex systems and functions. There is still so much about our bodies being researched that we do not understand like parts of the brain, why we dream or psychological disorders. Perhaps these areas would be a better resource for time and donations?

If I stop the argument here, I would say these body displays are neat to see, but there is no need to continue creating these figures. It’s like movie studios making a third Hulk film; like we get it; there are only so many ways you can show the world a man turning into a big, green monster/hero guy. From the first few Body Worlds collections, I conjectured that Gunther Van Hagens was just an enthusiastic German anatomist, but a “piece” in his latest exhibit has me thinking he’s a mild necrophiliac. In 2009, Hagens revealed in “Body Works: The Cycle of Life” two plastinated bodies having sex. He defends himself by saying, ‘death and sex are both taboo topics. I’m bringing them together. Death belongs to life…without sex no life would exist.” Well I’m not buying it, buddy. This has standard European perversion written all over it. I say leave the “birds and the bees” talk to parents and educators, not the dead!

To add salt to protestors’ wounds, you can now buy these bodies or bits of them, if you prefer. Redeemably, anyone wanting these specimens needs written proof that they will use thee….merchandise for research, teaching or medical purposes. If you’re not a doctor, scientist or biology teacher don’t be upset that you’re missing out on owning your very own plastinated body. Lay folk can always purchase jewelry crafted from animal corpses, including necklaces made from horse slices, wristbands made from giraffe tails and earrings made from bull penises. HOT DAMN! Buy them here! - http://www.plastination-products.com/Lifestyle:::4.html

St. Louis natives will have noticed that some of the exhibits’ bodies have been put out in the open at the Galleria in the past year, to which I say, 'gross'. The mall is no place for these displays whether you think they are super cool art or taboo or just plain unsettling. Sure, people who want to view the bodies for free now have access, but do you know who else has access? Simple shoppers who just want to eat their Auntie Anne’s pretzel while finding a little black dress before their Friday night date without seeing a corpse...that’s who!

I’m getting queasy so I’m going to wrap this up. Human beings are so much greater than our bodies and one will not grasp our complexity (anatomically, physiologically or psychologically) by viewing unskinned and deconstructed vessels of a former soul. However, as long as people are willing to consent to this I’m sure Hagens will always look to shock using the human body as his artistry clay. If you haven’t gone yet and you plan to go, be forewarned that after seeing the exhibit, you will want to shower and avoid pasta with red sauce and all meat, perhaps even meat byproducts, for a few days.

Anyone care to comment (nicely)?

St. Patty's Day Weekend in Chicago!

Laura, Mary and I drove off Friday morning to Chicago for the weekend to visit Genny and get our drink on. After arriving, the fun didn't start right away because it took us an hour and a half to park, but once we did it wasn't long till we rode the bus to Michigan Ave. (Forever 21 and Express holla!). As we were walking on the street we saw Genny arrive on her bus (it was very cinematic).


Then Genny was like "Bitches, I'm hungry," so we found a New Orleans inspired restaurant named "Heaven on Seven". It was maxed out with Mardi Gras decorations and we were very discouraged that cocktails were $10, but Laura and I had "Craw Daddies" anyway and they were delicious.

After a surprisingly non-sketchy bus ride back to Genny's swanky and spacious apartment, we prepared for a night on the town. That included playing "Fuck The Dealer" and only after a few rounds we were all pretty f**ked.

First, we took a taxi to a two floor bar/club called Lion's Head, I think. Mary did tequila shots with strange women and as always the Villa girls got everyone dancing. We decided to bolt that scene and go to another bar that I can't remember the name of, but they give free bags of popcorn to everyone. There were also a lot of men; that's when I learned what a "bro bar" is.

Next, we went to "The Hangge Uppe". It was pretty tight; we started dancing right as we got in the door. A group of, I'll call them semi-attractive, men were watching us and Laura achieved that "goal" of life. Shortly after we all branched off with our own men. Mary saw Matt Trokey, but no one believed her. And getting every one's drunk ass in a cab home was like herding sheep, but I won't go into specifics. Long story short, Mary's gentlemen caller made is way into Genny's apartment. Laura and Genny chatted with him, saying things like "you don't make six figures," and "are you a robot?" (Genny had to ask because he was tall with a weird shaped head and an extremely low voice). Mary ate on the floor in the dark kitchen and I set up my bed in Genny's room because at least if that man pulled a gun, I could try to escape.

We awoke Saturday morning to get ready for our St. Patrick's Day extravaganza at Duffy's Tavern about a 10 minute walk from Genny's apartment. Laura and I felt the most ill, but rallied to get our green outfits on. Duffy's was pretty packed; a lot of people with gaudy green wigs on; free beads, hats and a long buffet. I went back to Genny's because I was about to vomit in front of everyone so G, L and M stayed and drank there little hearts out. We met back up late afternoon to go to lunch. As soon as we rejoin, Mary just hops in a taxi mini van with six other people and of course wouldn't get back out so we all had to fit. That was an uncomfortable and stupid ride so we had them drop us off. Mary then must have thought that the "Don't Walk" signs actually said walk so she nearly got killed in oncoming traffic a few times.


We found a small Mexican restaurant so we could eat and so Mary wouldn't die on us. She immediately ordered an extra strong margarita with a shot on the side to add. If any one's had to monitor a 4 year old at a restaurant then you understand how it was. To add some bizarre, Trokey said he just saw Laura walking down whatever street we were on. Very weird that he was not only at The Hangge Uppe, but also saw us the next day. Genny decided to leave with Mary to put her to bed and Laura and I stayed a while longer. Once we were all back at Genny's we all took a 3 hour nap? Genny and I then decided to go to the Athenian Room, a quaint, Greek restaurant, for dinner. Saturday night we stayed in because the red head and arab were hungover from the day.

Sunday morning rolled around and after sleeping in we decided to have a nice brunch at a place called Orange. It was very delicious, I recommend it. Alas, we couldn't stay with Genny forever :( so Mary, Laura and I packed up and started our drive back to St. Louis. We played light music while reflecting back on our time in Chi-Town and played "20 Questions". All in all it was fun; a lot of alcohol was consumed and maybe we'll get around to seeing a museum next time.

These Videos Make Me Laugh

In order to spread "holiday cheer" I have compiled a column of funny videos (mostly cat based, I apologize). So here you go...