8112

50th Celebrated as 5 - Balloon Relay

Feb. 2004

Lee Ann in Tampa, Florida US

Honorable Mention

50TH AS A 5!  I threw a 50th birthday party for my husband.  For the invitation I took about 15 pictures from a photo album that spanned his whole life and scanned them in and created my own invitation.  The photos were on the outside and inside it said "You're invited to attend Ken's 5th (oops! 50th) birthday party!" (in a kid's font) The entire theme was for a 5 year old not 50 year old. 

Everything was in red, blue, green, yellow, orange, all primary colors.  All the plates, napkins, cups etc.  I had 120 helium balloons delivered that filled the banquet room.  At each table I had goodie bags, filled with toys and candy from the party store.  I hired a clown that was a balloon artist and he spent 2 hours making balloon hats for everyone.  Everyone there was in a huge balloon hat. 

I had a DJ also.  In the middle of the room was a table with a kids blow up swimming pool filled with ice and sodas. (the beer was in a separate container in another area outside the room near the food)  I had red and blue sand buckets with the scoops (buy at the $1 store) and filled them with ice and wine bottles.  I went to Toys R Us and got little plastic wagons and tonka trucks and filled them with nuts and munchies.  I had easels with pin the tail on the donkey and pin the  nose on the clown taped to large poster board. 

The DJ played kids songs for the first half hour as people arrived.  Then he moved into dancing music.  My husband wore a hat with a little spinner on top, like kids wear.  The center piece for the middle of the tables had sand castle molds that were ducks and turtles and ice cream cones (49 cents at Toys R US) turned up side down and filled with nuts and balloons bouquets tied to them.  I had tons and tons of balloons everywhere.  I put disposable cameras on every table.  The hotel had pictures on the walls so I covered them with wrapping paper and bows. I also had streamers going from one end to the other end and a banner up at the front by the dance floor.  All the tables had balloon theme table cloths and also confetti on them.  Everyone said they had never had so much fun! 

I had it catered and the food was outside the room.  I also had name tags (there were about 60 people). Buy your stuff at the dollar store or the toy store, then give the stuff to friends with kids when you are done!  I never had so many complements on this party, everyone was so surprised at the theme.  Also, I took blow ups of the photos on the invite and put them scattered about on a large poster board and put it on a easel outside the room with balloons attached. 

My husband stood outside the room and greeted people as they arrived.  I did not dare try to pull off a surprise, plus my husband had more fun helping me plan it over the months!  Everyone brought gag gifts, so have a gift table.  I had a huge cake with a clown and a train on it with 5 candles.  The DJ was a big help, we had games and prizes too.

We played a game where you put the balloon between your knees and pass it back and forth with your partner and the couple that drops the balloon is out, last on standing wins a prize.  I also had a bowl full of gold coins and it was covered and you had to guess how many coins and you won the bowl.  I had prizes from the $1 store to give for pin the tail o the donkey, etc.  Have fun!!

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