It used to be that parents threw theme birthday parties for young kids, but when it came to an adult, he or she just got a cake and a present. Nowadays, people enjoy throwing theme parties for an adult crowd. It’s fun to get friends and family together, dress up in costumes, and have a fabulous party. Trying to think of a unique party theme for this year’s birthday bash? How about a prairie party? It’s a blast and it’s not much trouble to put together.
Invite the guests to dress in vintage clothing from way back when. Long dresses and boots for the women, with aprons tied around the waist; men can wear old suits with bow ties or even bib overalls and plaid shirts. Women can wear their hair up in buns, and wear sunhats, or they can just tie on an old fashioned bonnet and wear pigtails.
You can set the scene outside, for approaching guests, by using any number of things. Stick a shovel in the dirt and tie balloons around it. Or, arrange bails of hay around a campfire for later in the evening. The yard can be littered with anything from gardening tools to wagon wheels.
Some charming and old-fashioned things you can use to decorate inside include bandanas, wildflowers, clay pots, tin cups, old vases, and thrift store antiques. Make a bandana table runner and set the table with wild flowers. Or, arrange ordinary glasses on the tables to hold flowers. Another choice is to use an old boot as the centerpiece and fill it with flowers. These can be set around the room as well.
Serve lemonade, iced tea, or even cocoa – depending upon the season. Bake homemade pies, a cake, cookies, or even fruit tarts. If you’re serving a complete meal the main course can be anything from fried chicken to stew. Bake homemade bread and serve garden vegetables.
A fun game to play for a prairie party is a cake walk. Have guests bring a cake and try to win someone else’s. Set enough chairs for all but one person, play music, and when the music stops, everyone rushes to have a seat. One person, of course, will not get a chair. That person is out of the game and takes a chair as he leaves. Play another and another round until just one person remains. That person chooses a cake and the chairs are set back up to play again.
Bingo is another fun game for a prairie party. You can find bingo games at nearly any discount department store and play rounds to win a bandana, a handkerchief, or even some small antiques from a thrift store.
Party favors for the prairie theme can be anything from slices of homemade cake to gingham cloth filled with goodies and tied shut with a ribbon. Your guests will have the time of their lives and so will the birthday guy – or woman.