Prohibition Adventureparty – Part 1.

Last weekend, my friends and I completed one of the most fun projects I’ve ever had the chance to work on.
We threw an Adventureparty.

I’m going to describe this Adventureparty over the course of three posts
Part 1: The description of the party
Part 2: How we put it together
Part 3: Clue breakdown

Quick background:
Jen, Natalie, Paul, James and I had wanted to throw some sort of party that required stops with different clues. That’s all we knew.
We started in April.
We bandied about ideas for stops, locations, QR codes, Twitter updates, foursquare check-ins and all kinds of technology to add to the most comprehensive adventure we could think of. Since my birthday was next in the social calendar, we hooked our party to that event.

The Party:

Guests received an invitation that looked like a telegram, with the only information being the date, a URL for RSPVing and a note that they should wear comfortable shoes for the Adventureparty.

They arrived to a table stacked with black felt fedoras and black sequined feathered headbands.
That table also held sparkling wine and flutes.

When guests arrived, that’s all they knew.
We let the pressure build until they could take it no longer.
That was fun.

I explained the premise of the game.

It was 1920s Prohibition.

Teams would go to four locations rumored to hold hooch before finding the Speakeasy at the end of the party. Jen and Nat handed each team their envelope with the explanation letter and first set of clues.

The packet included a letter explaining some of the basics of the game, a disposable camera, and the team’s first clue.
It also included a “Get out of jail free” card with Jen’s phone number on it.
They would need to turn in the emptied disposable camera to gain entrance to the final location.
(It was very 1994 of me, I know)

And like I’m always recommending, I hired some high school students to take photos as well.
Most of the photos in this post are from their brilliant eyes.

First stop? The cop.

Guests arrived at a murder scene.

Sergeant O’Malley had come upon a crime scene.

Bootleggers had killed each other for booze. The sergeant was having a drink for the fallen.
Bloody Marys were shared for the fallen.
Once teams finished their drinks, Sgt. O’Malley gave them the next clue.
Quietly piped Irish folk songs helped complete the scene.

Next stop? The local watering hole.
Guests had to attach 8 bits to the ceiling, drink a pre-purchased pitcher of ale and talk to the barkeep to receive their next clue which landed them at one of the more dangerous stops.

(There are no photos of this stop because, well, duh, high school students. Also, they got lemonades and pats on the head when they were done. They’ve grown up in wine country and know adults are silly creatures.)

Third stop? The hobo.
Friends found themselves at the abandoned barn, looking for a hobo with the final clue and tales of the rails.

James dressed as a hobo. For his background music, he used Pandora’s gypsy jazz station playing on his smartphone.

Each team had to finish two bottles of hobo hooch before receiving their next clue. The night before, Natalie filled 375 ML bottles with hobo hooch, a Hawaiian Punch based cocktail sure to induce deep sleep eventually.

Next stop? The fountain
Guests found their way to the fountain at a St. Helena winery, where balloons with clues inside bobbed in the water.

There may have been shoes discarded and fountain-wading.
Fountain-wading makes for good parties.

You’ll notice we didn’t ask for permission at some of these locations.
Ahem.

The balloon clues held the final location.

The chef Sheamus Feely at Farmstead restaurant in St. Helena prepared a welcome “Bathtub Gin and Muddled Peach Cocktail to greet guests as they arrived. He served all manner of sandwiches to our teams. He was generous and kind and accommodating and you should certainly check in with them (a.) if you’re a local looking to do an event or (b.) if you’re visiting St. Helena.

(Plus, I saw him make an appearance on last season’s Top Chef, so there’s that)

There weren’t actual prizes given to the team that made it there first, other than bragging rights.

But it sure was an adventure.

Oh, and hey! Does this sound like something you’d like to do with a visiting sales team, your clientele or for your corporation? My friends and I had so much fun putting this together that we’d love to do it for you – any theme, any town, any sized group. Email me at hj@helenjane.com and let me know if you’re interested!

Project Mom Casting

I am Helen Jane.
I throw amazing parties.

I am an internet grandmother.
I have been putting myself online since 1998.
I have been making friends, connections and technological advancement for more than half my life.
Now, with my life in the Napa Valley, I show readers how to throw the best parties.

I grew up in the Midwest, to a mom who had been a nun for 20 years and an angry, angry father. My mom didn’t cook and my dad hated parties. I decided I’d show them.

I moved all over the country as a web designer in the internet’s early days. Following my heart, I settled in the Napa Valley six years ago. My programmer/musician husband and I have a lot of fun with our two daughters Nora Lea and Dottie (24 and 7 months old).

I co-captain my bocce team Joanie Loves Bocce.
I run my own design firm called Maplevine.
I started a national cheese tasting club called Cheesewhizzes and
I throw parties that may include Prohibition Adventures, Natty Hats, Bellini Bars or yoga sessions sponsored by Zicam.

Our whirlwind life of creativity and celebration is an inspiration for parents anywhere.

(Thanks readers, for tolerating my pitch to Project Mom for a show. You continue to put up with my ceaseless desire.)

Food for unexpected guests

Surprise guests are welcomed in our small wine country town.

We can’t really help it, it’s just that we’re always walking past each other’s houses.
And sometimes it’s just more convenient to stop by rather than call first.
Because of this, we’re savvy unexpected guest entertainers.

We have lots of experience.

Brokey: Preparing for Unexpected Guests

Our social schedule has been busy, what with bocce, birthday parties, more birthday parties and the unscheduled drop-in.

Piles of shoes don’t get put away,
lots of dishes in the sink,
a diaper bag plundering.

I did tell you that we love to drop in on each other, didn’t I?

I used to think that only happened on television — Dylan stops over just as I’m making out with Brandon! Bummer! — but the small town we live in celebrates it. Hooray! A drop-in!

And if it’s not welcome, you just say, “It’s not a good time.”
No harm, no foul.

Your community most likely has different guidelines.
Your friends would be pissed.
But here, here, we embrace the delight with an unexpected guest.
(And more often than not we’re ready for them.)

My brokey unexpected guest preparation checklist

Sparkling water (could be club soda).
Iced tea in the fridge.
An emergency container filled with dark chocolate, dried fruit, almonds and shortbread cookies.
(My emergency guest container has been filled over time.)
Oranges in the fridge.
A mint plant.
A willingness to set aside my to-do list.

The last one is the most important to me.
My friends are big gifts.
I’m always thrilled when gifts arrive on the porch.

Mix the above items to serve iced tea with mint.
Serve cool orange slices with bubbly water and shortbread cookies.
Make chocolate bark by melting the dark chocolate and stirring in dried blueberries and almonds.
Nom.

By the way, the brokey part of that is that I’ve collected these items over time.