Last-minute party planning
 

Hi all!

First, sorry I've been pretty inactive lately...I've been really busy this summer.

My sister turned 17 on Wednesday (yay!) and we're planning a party for Sunday evening. The plan was to go to The Dark Knight Rises and then hang out at the mall. No one feels comfortable going to TDKR at this point, and hanging out at the mall isn't exactly fun for nearly 30 people.

Another twist: we have a huge family-related event tomorrow night and next to no time to plan. That's why we picked a movie/mall party (easy, convenient, turn-key).

The movies and the mall are out. Does anyone have any last-minute ideas we can throw together? Thank you in advance.

If seeing TDKR was something that everyone was honestly on-board with, I think I'd stick with that. It's not as though this loon was part of an organized group that intended to sabotage the release of TDKR across America. It was one guy, acting alone, and he's in custody. I highly doubt there's anything to be fearful of at this point.

A roller skating party? One of our neighbors had her daughter's high school graduation party at a roller rink a couple months ago and it was actually a lot of fun. The kids (probably not too far from your sister's age) all had a blast, and the parents did, too. It's also something that works well with a large group.

I can't imagine another wack job attacking more movie goers, but knowing what just happened would certainly cast a somber mood over a party.

Bowling parties can be a lot of fun. Rent some lanes at a location that serves food & you are all set...

Thank you for the suggestions (we're still trying to figure out what to do...she woke up not too long ago and we had to explain what happened). I think it's less fear of a repeat and more the idea that it was a creepy happening and no one really wants to think about the shooting during a happy occasion like a birthday party.

I'll mention skating and bowling and see if she likes either (I certainly do!).

Don't laugh when I say this, but what about Chuck E. Cheese, or some other "retro, remember when you were a kid and loved having birthday parties there" venue.

When I was a kid, there was an ice cream chain called Farrell's and it was a hot birthday party spot. They came out with a big bass drum and sang the happy birthday song...you got a free sundae, etc.

Well, there was a Farrell's close to campus when I was in school and I decided I wanted to go there for my 21st birthday, before going out for more *ahem* adult consumption. This idea was a huge hit...before you knew it, we had 30 sisters AND our house mother packed in cars for this spontaneous Farrell's trip. Everyone was saying, "I remember coming here when I was a kid!"

Can you do a BBQ? Run to the supermarket and pick up some premade potato salad / coleslaw / pasta salad / whatever, some burgers and dogs, maybe some veggie burgers, buns, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mustard, maybe an ice cream cake, and some soda (you said your sister is 17 so I'm assuming most guests will be underage), grill up the burgers and dogs ... and there you go.

I also like Sciencewoman's idea - hit Chuck E. Cheese or Dave and Buster's or whatever. You'd probably have no problem making a last-minute reservation, even for a group of 30.

Good news: after checking with a few local places, we finally found a place to go! I'm glad we got it sorted out. It's a great restaurant, but we're in a more private party area. And there's very little planning involved.

Thanks for the ideas, especially because we were so lost and unsure of what to do (and have, like, no time).

I was going to suggest going to the Hollywood Bowl (Smokey Robinson is well past his prime, but still). And Ringo Starr is playing at The Greek. Speaking of that, they have an awesome lineup over the next month or so. But the restaurant would probably be easiest. And cheapest.