www.onecharmingparty.com
welcome to your
COUNTY FAIR PARTY
introduction Here’s to the good old days, whether you’re inviting friends over for a relaxing birthday party, needing ideas for a family reunion, or just throwing a neighborhood get together. The classic colors and vintage feel of this party are reminiscent of days gone by. With the sun shining and a gentle breeze blowing, you’ll find yourself slipping into memories of your childhood. Games from your youth will bring delight to kids of today and take them back to when blowing the biggest bubblegum bubble was cool and lazy days meant playing outside. An easy potluck that is shared by all is the perfect no fuss meal that keeps the good times rolling. It’s time for some old fashioned country living—welcome to the County Fair.
I’m sure you’ve guessed by now, but our favorite thing about parties is teaching you how to re-create every party that we do. Our parties have been photographed in great detail to show you our process so that you can have this same party yourself. We’ve done all of the hard work already so you can focus on building amazing memories with your family. Feel free to use our party ideas, but remember to play nice. This PDF is for personal use only.
Design & styling by Sara Westbrook and Brittany Egbert. Photography by Nicole Hill Gerulat.
party overview
introduction printing invitations party food 1st prize toppers garden harvest centerpieces pick a prize board pony rides ring toss mini pie eating contest bubblegum blowing contest cakewalk sawdust money dig party tips take home favors
printing invitations
These eye-catching County Fair invitations come
in two sizes. The smaller invitations and thank you cards are printed on bright white matte photo or brochure paper from an office supply store. Please be sure to use the highest quality printing settings on your printer--we can’t stress this enough. Light brown envelopes (sometimes called kraft, khaki, or paper bag) are available at scrapbooking stores and online at Paper Source. The invitations fit an A7 size envelope and the thank you’s fit an A2 size envelope. The different U.S. postal stamps we used are all available on Ebay: Cowboys of the Silver Screen, America’s Wool, Food for Peace, 4H Clubs 50th Anniversary Stamp, and Fruit Berries. The invitations also come in a larger flyer size, 8 ½ x 11 inches that you can tri-fold and send out.
party food
Let your guests show off their award winning cooking by hosting a
potluck. A potluck is a co-operative meal where everyone brings a side dish to share. This is a simple way to feed a crowd and makes it easier on the host. If you’re inviting a large group, give general assignments to ensure a complete meal; for example: side dish, salad, dessert, or drinks. If you want to go all out, have a chili cook off or pie-baking contest. Hand out awards and be sure to get the winning recipes. We say the more the merrier at this party, so ring the dinner bell and dig in.
1st prize toppers Supplies: print out of 1st prize toppers, 2” hole punch, ½ inch blue ribbon, scissors, tape, sticks
Directions: Print out a sheet of the 1st prize toppers onto cardstock or other stiff white paper. Using a 2” punch, punch out the circles. Cut two short pieces of blue ribbon and tape to the back of each circle. Tape a stick to back of that. Presto!
garden harvest centerpieces Tools and Supplies: floral knife or clippers, watertight enamel containers, oasis wet floral foam (make sure it is the wet floral foam), greening pins, pot tape (optional)
Flowers and Vegetables: broccoli, radishes, ornamental cabbage (kale), feverfew, billy balls, corn flower (or blue daisies), white poms, wheat, and scented geranium
For a large arrangement: Fill your container with fresh water. Start gathering a bouquet in your hand. Use taller flowers (wheat, billy balls, etc) in the middle and bring the broccoli and ornamental cabbage low around the sides. Arrange so that it looks visually interesting--different heights and colors--all around. Once the arrangement is full enough for the container, secure stems with a rubber band or wire around the stems, trim the ends of the flowers and vegetables, and place into the container. Make any adjustments so the arrangement looks full and wild. Note: add the broccoli and radishes the day of the party, they don’t last as long as flowers do.
For a small arrangement: 1. Fill up a sink or bucket with cold water and place the floral foam on top and let it sink down. Once it sinks, it is ready to go. You don’t want to push it in the water. Cut a block of floral foam that will fit snugly inside your container and comes 1� above the container. 2. Place taller flowers (wheat, billy balls, etc) in the middle of the container and work your way down and away from the center with different levels. 3. Place the radishes in the arrangement using the greening pins. Place the greening pin (which looks like a giant staple) where the leaves from the radish meet the base of the radish and secure into the floral foam. You could also use a toothpick or wooden floral pick to insert them into the arrangement. Note: add the broccoli and radishes the day of the party--they don’t last as long as flowers do. 4. Spray the broccoli and radishes with green-glo right before the party to make them shiny. 5. Look at every angle and make sure you cover all the floral foam with flowers.
pick a prize board Supplies: pre-made 22 x 29 inch simple wooden frame, a roll of chicken wire, staple gun, red acrylic paint, foam brush, wire cutters
Directions: If you can’t find a pre-made frame, you can make a simple one like this by gluing two pieces of 22 x 3 inch and 23 x 3 inch pieces (3/4 inch thick) together. The 22 inch pieces go across the top; the 23 inch pieces go in between. Use some wood glue to glue the sides together and clamp tight. Wipe off any excess glue with a wet rag. Let the frame dry overnight. Remove the clamps and sand smooth if needed.
Paint the front side of the wooden frame. You might need a few coats to achieve the right color. Once it’s dry, carefully roll out the chicken wire onto the back of the frame. Using wire cutters, carefully cut the chicken wire. Staple the chicken wire to the back of the frame (this part can be tricky, so use caution). We applied vinyl lettering in a cream color, that reads “pick a prize.” There are many online companies who sell custom vinyl lettering; it’s usually very inexpensive. You can also hand paint your letters on. Tape or tie prizes onto the chicken wire.
pony rides
As guests arrive, let them take turns on a pony ride. There are many
pony rental companies that will come to your location or event and provide pony rides for kids. Do an internet search to find a company near you. One pony for an hour should accommodate 15 or more kids. Ask the pony owner for more specific details.
ring toss Definitely a classic, this ring toss game is a contest of skill with a sweet reward. How to play a ring toss game is open to personal interpretation, so don’t let any set of rules hold you back. Just make sure the kids have fun.
A few tips for the best ring toss: - find old fashioned 12-ounce bottles of soda and group the bottles close together;
you can use a wooden soda crate to hold the bottles if you’d like but it’s not necessary - purchase 2 or 3 inexpensive wooden embroidery hoops in the 5 ½ inch size to use as rings for the children to toss--use both halves to total 4-6 rings; embroidery hoops are available at craft and fabric stores - have the children stand far enough away from the bottles for it to be a challenge, but close enough that they can ring a bottle - give the children as many tries as it takes to get a soda bottle and let them step closer if needed - when a ring lands around a bottle, let them choose a bottle of soda; have extras on hand to refill empty spots in the crate
mini pie eating contest There’s nothing funnier than watching a pie eating contest. Introduce young party guests to this fun game with the first annual mini pie eating contest. Purchase or make mini graham cracker crusts and fill with whipped cream. Add a few berries on top if you’d like. When you say go, it’s time to see who can eat their whole pie the fastest.
A few tips for the perfect pie-eating contest: - let contestants know they can’t use their hands - the best pies are the ones that require little chewing, such as a pie crust filled with whipped cream or pudding - the most entertaining pies are the ones that stick to the face a bit - have your camera ready and take lots of pictures. - tie a bandana around the contestant’s neck or use paper towels, to protect clothing and to use for clean up after the contest is over
bubblegum blowing contest
This one’s always a crowd pleaser, so
be sure to have a bubblegum blowing contest. Give all contestants a piece of bubble gum. Whoever blows the biggest bubble is the champion. But don’t worry, everybody wins at this game since getting a piece of gum is really the prize.
A few tips for blowing the biggest bubbles: - buy the kind of gum specifically made for blowing bubbles; brands like Double Bubble or Bazooka which contain less sugar and take more effort to chew tend to have more elasticity - be sure to chew your gum long enough to work out all of the sugar and artificial flavoring; this will help to strengthen your bubble - get your gum to the correct consistency; as you chew the gum it warms up - if you want to blow the biggest bubbles possible, be careful and blow slowly - don’t tighten your lips around the bubble; this will force you to blow harder and pop your bubble - keep your mouth open so you inflate the bubble through a larger hole
cakewalk
Instead of just handing out cupcakes at your party, have a cakewalk. If
this is a family reunion, you can raise money for next year’s reunion by selling tickets to participate in the cakewalk. All you need for this version is music, numbers for the ground, corresponding numbers in a bowl, and enough cupcakes for everyone. When the music starts, have the participants walk in a circle from number to number. When the music stops, each participant stays on the number they are on. A number is drawn from the container and whoever is on that number wins a cupcake. Let more kids join as needed and keep playing until everyone wins a cupcake.
A few tips to ensure a fun cakewalk: - have something on hand to play music - find a space large enough to place the numbers in a circle - you can write the numbers on the ground with sidewalk chalk or cut out the numbers in our printables; laminate the numbers if you’d like to reuse them - we used horseshoes to keep the numbers in place but you can tape them to the ground if possible
After the sawdust dig, place a circle of fabric and lid onto old canning jars so no one loses their money.
sawdust money dig
Sawdust digs are a family reunion tradition. Lay a large
tarp on the ground for easy clean up. Spread the sawdust onto the tarp and then add big handfuls of loose coins. Bags of sawdust and wood shavings can be found at feed stores and tack shops. If you don’t know where to find these, do an online search for feed stores, tack shops or “bulk sawdust for sale.” Some home improvement stores might sell sawdust as well. Let the kids enjoy searching through the sawdust for the coins. Provide them with cups, baggies or jars to collect their money in. If there are a lot of children participating, let the youngest start out first then slowly add the older children to keep it fair. Sprinkle in more coins when you add the older kids to the dig. To make it easier, start collecting your loose change early. $25 in coins is a good amount for 15-20 kids and be sure to have a variety of coins in different amounts. For easy clean up, gather the sawdust onto the tarp and transfer it into a garbage bag. Sawdust can be composted in some areas, added to your green waste, or donated for use in horse stalls.
party tips
A County Fair Party is great for all ages. Whether you’re inviting a
small group or having a large family reunion, these ideas can be adapted for your friends and family.
For decorating with a country flair consider using bails of straw covered with fabric or blankets. Some people also have allergies to hay, making straw a better option to use.
With all of the hard work and prep that goes into having a party, you’ll want to remember every detail after it’s all over. Be sure to have your camera on hand and the batteries charged. As the host, there isn’t much time to snap shots of the party. So it’s a good idea to put someone else in charge of taking pictures. Sometimes the best memories of a party are when the unexpected happens, so just roll with it and snap away.
take home favors
Ladies and gentlemen. Boys and girls. Step right up, and
pick a prize. Every kid’s a winner at this County Fair so have a variety of prizes to choose from and enough for everyone. An assortment of treasures will keep every age happy. You can include small cars, candy sticks, packs of gum, and old fashioned toys. The sky’s the limit. With this handy dandy prize set up your party guests are sure to go home with a smile.
party where you are planted. onecharmingparty.com
resource guide apple basket: Michael’s Craft store horse shoe: local tack shop postage stamps: USPS, Ebay www.ebay.com khaki envelopes: Paper Source www.papersource.com sheriff badge: Cracker Barrel stripey straws: Sweet Lulu, www.shopsweetlulu.com berry basket: Garnish www.thinkgarnish.com red checkered food liners: Walmart red gingham baking liners: Hey Yo Yo www.etsy.com/shop/HeyYoYo chicken wire: Home Depot yellow pleated baking cups by Wilton: local party supply, www.shopbakersnook.com glasses: IKEA and Anthropologie enamel metal pitchers and mugs: personal collection, www.ebay.com flower plates: personal collection pick a prize toys: Cracker Barrel seven-up crate: local antique store, Pottery Barn www.potterybarn.com, www.ebay.com vintage looking sodas: Cracker Barrel, Target, grocery store, www.sodapopstop.com red and white striped fabric garland: Hank + Hunt www.hankandhunt.blogspot.com cake & cupcakes: Cheri Robinson, simplysweet-cakes.blogspot.com flowers: Megan Dunford, www.persimmonfloral.com