Help planning a party- please help me brainstorm.

[gatorsmom]

My dad is turning 70 the end of June. In all my spare time (insert eye roll), I"d like to throw him a surprise birthday party. It has to be a surprise or he'll veto it, but I"m sure he'll enjoy it after the fact (he always does. :) ). It has to be low key, as simple to put together as possible. Here's what I have planned so far and this is just all still rumbling around in my brain- Dad has a big piece of land which is really nothing more than an old farm that has a lot of woods he uses for hunting and we camp there. He had a 50th birthday party there, thrown by my mom and it turned out nice. There is a generator for electricity and NO running water, although my dad does have a clean, port-opotty there which he pays a company to come and empty/maintain. There is a big firepit everyone usually hangs around, a picnic table that could hold 10 adults and lots of huge oaks for shade.

I was thinking to send an invitation to friends and family to show up there (and include directions), to celebrate. NO gifts (many of his family and relatives are very poor and farmers), bring your own lawn chairs and beer (our immediate family doesn't drink but most of our relatives do and that's fine), we will serve smoked, pull-pork sandwiches and hotdogs with fixin's and sides, soda, water and cake. DH has a huge outdoor smoker which he loves to cook with, the soda and water are easy to bring and keep cold in big coolers which we already have. Hotdogs are pretty easy to keep cold in a cooler and cook on an open fire (plus I'll buy the pre-cooked ones), any salads I made would probably be Italian-type pasta salads without egg products or mayo and I"d keep it in coolers. Veggie trays, chips and dip, etc. There are no mosquitoes there (totally land-locked) so the only thing to worry about are ticks and flies. And some bees. I'll have sprays for those. We'll probably put up some games like horse-shoes, etc., for fun. MOst of our family, though, just loves to gather and reminisce. :)

What else am I forgetting? Sorry I'm rambling but it's a busy day here today and I realized that I'd better get going on this.

thx for your help.

[Jen841]

Sounds great! What about come blankets/sheets if people forget chairs? Jugs of suntea and or water in lieu of individual bottles?

My new picnic trick is I freeze water from our Brita into juice containers/milk containers and use those for picnics to the beach etc.

Bubbles for the kids? Music of some sort?

Would you want to bring stuff to plant a tree up there for his bday and everyone could dig a bit?

For 'big' bdays in the high numbers our family organizes card showers. For those that can not attend if they want to send a card to your attention you can make sure he gets it. Could be fun if you sent invitations to those far away that can not attend. My Grandmother loved looking through her cards. We had a basket just for the 100+ she got for her 90th.

Sunscreen? Lanterns or some form of light?

[JTsMom]

Sounds really good to me. That's the kind of thing my family tends to do too. :)

Maybe throw in a couple of balloons tied to chairs to make it look festive, and maybe a homemade Happy Bday sign. I'd probably do some kid friendly stuff like sidewalk chalk/balls/ride-ons/whatever. Is it way out away from everything? If not, you could send someone to grab ice-cream at the last minute. If so, skip it of course.

We did a huge party for my grandpa's 80th, and he loooved it. Be sure to take tons of pics as well, especially w/any family you don't regularly see. If you make a little scrapbook for him afterward, I'd bet he'd really cherish it.

[3blackcats]

If you are worried about people getting bored, you could set up a badminton or volleyball net. This would work well if you had an age group - teenagers - that may be hard to entertain.

Don't forget to bring garbage cans/bags to clean everything up. You might want to pack hand sanitizer and toilet paper for the outhouse :-)

[boogiemom]

That sounds like so much fun! Maybe some beach-y type summer toys for the kids.....my kids love those round, velcro-sticky pads that you use to catch tennis balls, croquet sets, etc. You can usually find these cheap at CVS or dollar-store type places this time of year.

Go to Big Lots or similar and get vinyl, flannel-backed tablecloths and use them upside-down for cheap, portable, extra seating. The vinyl is a great barrier for the possibly damp ground and the flannel makes a nice, soft seating area. You can use some as actual table cloths on the picnic tables for a festive look. I love multi-purpose accessories!

Pick up a large scrapbook and put it out on a table with markers so people can choose a page and write a birthday message or a favorite memory about your dad. You can add fun photos of those people from the party on the page with their message.

Citronella candles, marshmallows for roasting, makings for smores.......

[zag95]

I'd definitely do a scrapbook- have people tell a funny story, etc. And you can document with photos....

Sounds so fun- are we all invited?!!

[mytwosons]

It sounds great!

My dad is about 5 yrs older than yours and we did a surprise party for his 65th (after he'd had a big health scare). It was very simple; just a chance for people to come together and let my dad know he was/is loved. I had a 2 entrees (ham and lasagna), maybe three sides, bread, and called it a day. No birthday sign or balloons. Honestly, I think my dad would have not enjoyed it as much had it been really fancy or a lot of obvious work put into it.

Your dad will love and appreciate whatever you decide to do! You are sweet to throw a party for him!