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Surprise 40th Party - Birth Year Event Posters

April 2003

Anna in Manteca, CA, USA

Honorable Mention

40th Surprise for husband with birth-year events mentioned.  Friends have a huge rec room/hall on their property that we were able to use. 

Found photo of b-day boy when he was 4 or 5 for the invitations.  Since he's a fly fisherman, I typed the words "Fish On" on the chest of his shirt.  

BUT…the coolest thing I did for decorations was a HIT!!!  Events/People in the news the year he was born.  I made 40-50+ Letter size (lots of ink..color and black & white copies) on cardstock of Politics, the President, famous leaders, the pope, Sports, Music, Movies, Movie stars, Famous people doing something memorable that year (including death.. Like an obit) Cars & Trucks, statistics.. The price of a house then vs. now (and more statistics) 49ers!, A's, space, war (Vietnam)  Businesses starting that year.  Inventions, etc!

Each picture/story found on the Internet was enlarged to fit an 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock.  Sometimes, basic info was just re-typed and enlarged to a larger font (to fit paper)..  I'd find a story without a picture, so I'd sometimes look for a picture, and then I put the two together to make a creative document (on Microsoft Word).  TIME CONSUMING.. But I love to play on the computer (plus it improved my skills that much more). 

I found a logo from the town he was born.. And added "Great fisherman are born here".  I made a list of "famous people" born 'that' year, and added his name.. Highlighting 'his name'.  Found famous people born the same day (different year, though). 

Found the website with LIFE magazine cover publications.  So it looked like covers of Life (grabbed more interesting headers) 2 magazines per page (using landscape). I think I made 4 or so of those.  All info was found on different history timelines for the year I entered.  They'd give one sentence info, that I'd research to find out more.  Then, I took old photos, including a family portrait, and again enlarged to fit letter size cardstock, and made pretend 'portraits' to place on the coffee table.  I then used black crepe paper.. Attached to the beams overhead, and placed to pictures, back to back onto the end of each steamer. 

When you walked into the room, it was a sea of Letter size (portrait and landscape in style) hanging at different levels.  Over the pool table, attached against the walls, taped to the tv's (movie ones were great here).  Since b-day was in February, the pictures were used again for THREE MORE PARTIES.. Of friends also turning 40 in the same year.  And they were a hit, there too.  They were entertaining and informative to read.  Really everything else was typical.  Black streamers. Added disco music (friends had a disco ball)Food was easy. 

Salads, a great local pizzeria (who delivered), salads and a cake from costco, with ho-hos and other fun sweet snacks. Even had goody bags for the kids that came (cheap flashlights, pens, paper).  I should have given them out sooner, so they had something to play with.  I plan on saving the info on a CD for his 50th b-day.  Afterall, same birth year of events.

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