 I would never write "Party with Joe" without having an adjective before the word "party". When I book my entertainment, I always ask if they specialize in any themes and if they tell me something general, I usually give THEM some ideas and see if they have a little imagination themselves. There are a number of entertainers who are willing to be creative and come up with songs related to the theme of the day.
In this case, I made it easy for the performer. For Rat Pack Day, I just asked him to sing songs by Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis and Dean Martin! Just mentioning "Frank Sinatra" turns most of the women into teenage, young-fashioned bobbysoxers again! There is one very special woman who I call "Molly Sinatra." The story is that when she was 15, she somehow snuck into The Paramount and got up to Frank's room and he came to the door and kissed her on the cheek. She says she never washed her face again! At the sound of his name her head whips around and she points to her cheek. It was a moment she never forgot. Actually, when I met MeatLoaf, the singer, I told him about Molly and asked him to kiss me on the cheek! It was a moment I'll never forget! That led to Meatloaf Day-another column!
All year round, I keep my eyes open at garage sales and when I approach the sale, I always mention that I'm an activity director and I am looking for costumes, decorations and bingo prizes for the residents. You will be surprised how many people hear that and practically give things away! Somehow, I got my hands on 2 mink stoles and a few hats from that era. I also had a faux fur collar around the neck of a gaudy, black sequin dress that I bought at the dollar store for $4.99, a string of fake pearls and a pair of cat glasses from Sock Hop Day. My ladies come from a generation where mink stoles were the hottest thing. When I passed it around to take pictures, it was like I was letting them put on diamonds. They were all so honored that I let them try it on. I have the sweetest pictures of woman who were 25 that day!
In addition to the performer singing all of their songs, I also had fun fact sessions about the Rat Pack I found. For instance, did you know that it was well known that Dean Martin was a drinker; however, it was really a rumor! He was drinking iced tea! I also had Biography Hour and told them about the life story of each one of them. Did you know that when Sinatra was born in Hoboken, his grandmother held him underwater because he wasn't breathing?
At the end of the day, when things are winding down, I put "Rat Pack" on the blackboard and they find little words within the letters. So, basically the only thing different about this day besides having an entertainer, is having the costume props that I had. If you keep your eyes open and ask your own Moms and friends if they happen to have an old unwanted mink stole or old Halloween costumes or clothes that they don't need in the attic somewhere, you'll never know who may come through for you. I have posted requests for things on Facebook and a lot of my friends have really come through! I even found my very own disco clothes in my old bedroom at my Mom’s house! You know that became a Ginger holiday too!
Happy Rat Pack Day!
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GINGER'S CREATIVE COSTUMES AND ACTIVITIES