Posts Tagged ‘picnic tips’

Picnic at a Rock Concert

Sunday, September 13th, 2009

Have you ever been to a picnic at a rock concert? It’s wonderful.

This is really one of the easiest and most fun types of picnics to take part in, and the preparation is rather simple. Here’s a few pointers though, just so you don’t forget anything:

Obviously, mark your calendar when they come to town. Call the venue as soon as you can to find out if it’s General Admission or if it’s seated. General Admission is certainly your best bet for really getting into the picnic feel. Get there early, early, early so you can get your spot and keep it.

I recommend sitting as far back as possible, preferably under a tree and with a building at your back. That way, you can rest against the building and you also get some sense of privacy, as nobody will be looking over your shoulder. And if you sit far enough away, you’ll be able to hear the music yet maintain conversation with your picnicking partner.

As usual, make sure to bring the necessary food and drink if the venue allows it; some do and some don’t. If they don’t, not to worry, as many still sell food and drinks. But if they do, I’d recommend storing everything in a cooler, as these summer events tend to get very warm.

You and your loved one can sit back, relax, and enjoy the music you love while still feeling like you’re on a little getaway.

And guys: bring your own guitar and sing to your girl as a nice little bonus for her!

Back to School Picnic

Friday, August 7th, 2009

If you’re looking for a great way to get involved in your child’s schooling and want to meet some other parents, throwing a back-to-school picnic might just be your answer.

This is a fairly easy one to organize, too.

Decide on a day early in the school year. There are a couple reasons for this:

  1. If you live in a colder climate, it will still be warm in August and most of September;
  2. There should still be a sort of “new school year eagerness” going on for children and parents.

The best way that I’ve found to get this going is by getting to know your child’s homeroom teacher. After talking to him/her a few times, you may feel comfortable enough to her about putting a sign-up sheet on the door – or wherever the homeroom bulletin board is. There’s usually something like that for parents to look at for each classroom.

The only real tricky part of this is finding out the names of all the parents. And if you can’t, just get a class list and use that. In fact, that might even be better, depending on your taste. Simply create a sheet with all the names on it and leave a blank space after their names where parents can write in what they’d like to bring, like accessories, picnic baskets, etc. Simple.

You’ll need a basic cover sheet that lets parents know where and when the picnic will be and whom to contact should they have any questions. Just put your name and phone number on it, and you’re all set.

You’ll be a hit!

Anniversary Picnic Ideas

Monday, July 6th, 2009

If you’re anything like most of the population, Anniversary Night typically means going out to eat at your favorite restaurant, maybe followed by or following a movie. While that can definitely be great fun, I have a few other ideas I’d like to recommend to switch things up a little bit.

First the place:

  1. Where did you meet?
  2. Where do you like to go together?
  3. Where is a somewhat-nearby place that you’ve been talking about always visiting.

Once you figure that out, all you have to do is plan it out. Or don’t plan it out! Surprise your loved one with a packed picnic baskets in the back seat of the car on the way there.
Note: if you’re going to surprise him (or her), make sure that he/she LIKES surprises. And if you’re asked what you’re going to do on your anniversary, just call it a surprise.

Again, ONLY if your sweetie likes them.

So once you’ve figured that part out, plan out your day a little. One really fun thing to do is to call ahead – or visit the place a day or two ahead – and let the people with whom you come in contact know it’s your anniversary. Tip them something and see if you or they can come up with something fun and romantic to say or do for you on your little excursion. Imagine how neat it would be if three or four “strangers” congratulated your wife on your anniversary!

Have some food ready to be picked up if you’re not packing the basket. Put the food in the basket or cooler, find some grass somewhere, and sit down with a bottle of wine from the wine basket with your wife and relax the day away.

How to Meet New People at the Beach

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009

We’ve all had them, and they’re almost always fun. So what can we add to a great beach picnic that we’re not already doing? Well, maybe nothing, but here’s a few ideas that you may not have tried that you might find interesting:

  1. Bring extra drinks, whether it’s just water, soda, or beer. This usually works best if you’re not planning a romantic, secluded beach picnic, of course. If you’re at a beach in the middle of the day for a picnic, it’s always nice to be able to offer someone else a drink. What a great conversation starter and way to meet new people, especially if you’re new to the area.
  2. Bring extra food in the totes for the same reason. Chips – small bags – are a great choice, as are small, bite-sized candy bars.
  3. Bring a dog. Even if you don’t have one, borrow someone else’s. A ton of beaches allow dogs, and the dog will have a field day running and playing in the water. If the dog is cute (and friendly), everybody will want to pet him. It’s another fabulous conversation starter.
  4. Fly a kite. Kite People are just cool, and everyone will notice you. It’s a great opportunity to have a little fun and maybe strike up some conversation.
  5. Bring your mom. No, this probably won’t help you meet new people, but sometimes it can. Sometimes she’ll notice little things about other people that you didn’t. For instance, if you’re a guy looking for a special someone, she often notices the looks that last a little longer than most. You know, things like that.

Have fun!

Night Time Picnic

Monday, May 18th, 2009

When someone says the word “picnic”, we usually think of the typical picnic in the part with a brown baskets and a red and white checkered tablecloth. That makes sense of course, but that only scratches the surface of this time-honored, fun tradition.

One thing that I’ve stressed to friends is to be spontaneous with picnics – I’ll get into that more at a later time – and to have them at unconventional times and in creative places.

A friend of mine and her husband like to sneak out and have little romantic getaways – picnics – after the sun goes down… or as the sun is setting. And the setup is quite different. After leaving the babysitter with their kids, they drive around for a while until they find a somewhat-secluded area of town, sit down, and call their favorite restaurant to deliver food to them. (Now, this doesn’t work everywhere, of course. Bigger cities likely won’t deliver to a “secluded area”, but if you live in a small town and know the owner and drivers, you’re set.)

The beauty of this type of picnic is that there’s little or no preparation other than calling the babysitter and making sure you have enough gas in the car. It’s a perfect and inexpensive evening out, and it can be a relaxing escape from the day-to-day hustle and bustle of our working lives. Some variations of this might be to blindfold your husband/wife on the way there and see if they can figure out where they are… it might add a little mystery to the fun!

Picnic for the Needy

Sunday, April 12th, 2009

This may sound like a huge deal and hard to organize, but it’s really a lot easier than you may think.

If you take some of the picnic ideas from some other posts of mine and combine them, you’ll find that we already know how to do this with just a little effort. And think about what you could do for someone’s day!

Arrange a time and date at your local park – let the park manager know what you’re doing – and begin. Just call a few of your neighbors, friends, and family and see what they can make for the picnic. Make a dish or two in your own home, and there you go: the food is done. Grab a bunch of 2-liters of soda at the store ($1.00 each sometimes), and off you go.

The hardest part of this type of picnic is letting the public know. A few really good places to post fliers would be the library, the grocery store, and the courthouse (If anyone has any other great places to add, please do!).

Food aside, I think there may be one or two more things we could add to this picnic for the needy in your area that I think could really add that special touch:

Call a couple friends of yours who may have managerial jobs in the area and invite them to the picnic… and ask them to bring job applications if they’re hiring. (I understand that “needy people” DO work and that many work even full-time. But there is a very large number of our fellow citizens in our communities that still can’t make ends meet. And some still can’t find jobs.) Ask a few businesses in your area whom you may not even know to come and join the fun – tell them there’s free food!

Anyway, these are just a couple suggestions. Many of you already do this and may have much better ways of tackling this. These are just mine for now.

Thanks!

Picnic Music

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

I think the thing that people forget to take along on picnics the most is music. And if you ask me, I think it can be an integral part of picnicking.

Or taking the WRONG music.

In this first example, imagine a gentleman taking his new girlfriend out for a nice picnic at the park, with backpacks for 2. The food is out, the wine is flowing, and he pops in a Metallica CD. No. Metallica is fine and they have their place certainly, but if you’re still in “dating mode”, forget it. For these situations, I’d highly recommend some light or smooth jazz. Some examples are the saxophone sounds of Dave Koz (check out “The Dance”), anything by Michael Buble, or even the bass sounds of Wayman Tisdale.

You see, at a picnic, sometimes it’s better for the music to be in the background rather than at the forefront. Picnics are a time for people to talk and relax, and jazz can be a perfect addition to add to the ambience.

In this next example, imagine that you’re having a picnic on the beach while intermittently playing some beach volleyball. If you bring smooth jazz, you may get some strange looks from your teammates. Conversely, the right music can get you motivated to play your heart out! For this, I recommend either some current dance music or anything from the charts from the 1980s. It can get your friends motivated and excited to hear what the next song is going to be.

So as you’re planning your picnic or day at the beach, remember that music can make or break your outing.

Hi Everyone…Welcome to Ellen’s Corner

Sunday, January 4th, 2009

Happy New Year…Welcome to Ellen’s Corner!

My name is Ellen and I am the host of what we call “Ellen’s Corner”.  Ellen’s Corner is a blog associated with www.PicnicSupplyWorld.com and set up to offer Picnic related Tips, Ideas, Recipes, Stories and More…

So, please join me and have some fun…who doesn’t enjoy a PICNIC!