By Cindy Silvert, www.easybreezygourmet.com
Location. Location. Location. I lamented on my tent woes to the Rabbi’s wife, party planner extraordinaire, who suggested that I have the brunch right outside our Synagogue. This way, there would be no need to switch locations mid affair, it would meet my outdoor criteria, and the price was right. “Are you crazy?” my husband burst out, “We are not having the Bar Mitzvah in a parking lot!” “It’ll be in a beautiful tent,” I whined. “We’ll put down a nice floor, decorate it out to wazoo and there’s great parking! Plus, we can just tell the boys they’re in a car showroom and they’ll be in heaven!” Next…
There’s a charming farm just down the street. It boasts a private banquet room, a view of the fields and a decent size kitchen. They’re not picky about caterers and don’t mind a band. It’s affordable, nice enough and again, has terrific parking. Here’s the thing, not only did we have a pumpkin picking birthday party there (ie. baby town), but I had an out of body experience there that scarred me for life. Ever been in a corn maze? This one required an IQ of 120, mastery of 3D maps, code breaking skills and a memory. My darling children abandoned me within seconds. The maze was supposed to take 45 minutes, it took me two days. I cried and cheated and begged strangers for mercy. Eventually, I used my high heels as a machete and escaped via a maze of my own making. As I crawled off his damaged property, the owner lifted his shotgun and recommended that I “Get off and stay off.” So we might have it someplace else.
Am I being unreasonable here? All I ask for is a magnificent, breezy space that’s around the corner and free. Oh yeah, and I wouldn’t mind if it had tons of stuff for both kids and adults to do (and I don’t just mean another award winning round of DJ Pepsi/Coke). I dread being indoors when it’s stunning out (yes, I will control the weather), and really don’t want to spend a sizeable part of the budget on four ugly walls. Our synagogue’s too small, banquet halls are too large. I realize I may have to compromise on one or two points, but everything? All I really want is a room-less room with a view. Anyone?
With no choices at hand, I was getting close to desperate. Then one sad day as I was envisioning the Hora at Chuck E Cheese’s it suddenly hit me: I had the place. It was laid back, could accommodate any number of guests, had endless fun potential and was a thing of beauty (ie. muddy, rustic and green). Needless to say, I assumed it was too good to be true so I didn’t bother telling my husband. With the thinnest shred of hope and a sprinkle of courage, I picked up the phone and asked: “Hey Mr. Director, can we come to camp and play?” The dear man said yes. So that’s the plan. The Bar Mitzvah shall be a day of outdoor festive fun at a local camp. Mission accomplished. I am one happy camper.
About Cindy Silvert
Cindy Lynn Silvert took the long route to the States from Canada via Israel, where she studied, worked and had her first two children. A lover of the Arts, Cindy is a professionally trained actor, prolific artist and writer. She has designed educational software, curricula and museums exhibits in addition to editing two books. She writes for a number of sites including easybreezygourmet.com where she shares culinary secrets, shortcuts and tips. She is also a featured chef and lead contributor of metroimma.com.
Follow Cindy’s new blog Eat Pray Save, right here on MitzvahMarket.com as she challenges the status quo all the way to the Bimah, while planning her son’s upcoming Bar Mitzvah. Eat Pray Save will be the place to get a fresh perspective and a classy, yet fun and affordable solution to the out of control phenomenon of the American Bar Mitzvah.
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