PARTY - NCAA TOURNAMENT - CAPTURE THE MADNESS
By JAN LANDON
Special to JOE Magazine
The key to hosting a successful March Madness party is to keep it casual. Basketball-watching parties can be held during the first round (March 15-18), when there are lots of games, or during the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight (March 22-25), when the tension is high, notes http://www.ehow.com/. The Final Four games will be March 31 and April 2.
Encourage guests to wear jerseys or hats from their alma mater or from the team for which they are cheering. The host can wear a referee shirt. Invite guests early enough that they have time to get settled before tipoff. Provide plenty of seats, each with a good view of the game.
Set up at least two televisions, says Kevin King, general manager of Tanner’s Bar and Grill in Waldo (Kansas City), who has lots of experience meeting the needs of sports-crazy customers. If you want to go all out, buy a satellite package for one of the TVs so guests can watch games from across the country on it while the other TV is devoted to the regional games, he says. If the weather allows, put a television on the deck or patio and light the fire pit.
Make sure a small television or radio also is playing in the bathroom so guests don’t miss a moment, ehow.com suggests. Print out the basketball brackets and post them on the wall across from the toilet.
If some guests have no interest in basketball, give them something else to do. Set up a game of bunko or a conversation area in another room. For children, play movies in a bedroom. For food, set out dips and chips, bowls of popcorn and peanuts and a hearty meat tray. “This isn’t the time for a steak dinner,” King says. “The key is being able to watch the games. People aren’t into having plates of food because they are up jumping around.”
If you can’t stifle the urge to serve more substantial food, ladle up bowls of chili or grill hamburgers or hot dogs. Dessert can be easy-to-eat choices such as basketball-shaped cookies or brownies.
Although beer goes well with basketball, King emphasized that it shouldn’t be the emphasis of the party. Bottles of water or soda also should be available, and one or two designated drivers should be on hand.
BETWEEN GAMES …
•Give a prize to any guest who can sing his entire college fight song.
•Go outside and shoot baskets in the driveway.
•Pop EA’s NCAA March Madness in the Play Station or Xbox.
•Play a basketball movie like “Coach Carter,” “Hoosiers,” “Hoop Dreams” or “White Men Can’t Jump.”
March Madness Party:
Celebrate college basketball’s annual spectacle at your home.
By JAN LANDON
Special to JOE Magazine
March comes in like a lion, usually bringing along a Blue Devil, a Gator, a Jayhawk, a Buckeye and a few other friends. It’s the perfect time to sit back and watch, stand up and cheer, bump chests, high-five and relish the excitement of college basketball.
The key to hosting a successful March Madness party is to keep it casual. Basketball-watching parties can be held during the first round (March 15-18), when there are lots of games, or during the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight (March 22-25), when the tension is high, notes http://www.ehow.com/. The Final Four games will be March 31 and April 2.
If ever there were a time for e-mail invitations, this would be it. Phone calls also work, but guests appreciate e-mail reminders, and they can easily forward e-mailed invitations to a spouse or date.
Encourage guests to wear jerseys or hats from their alma mater or from the team for which they are cheering. The host can wear a referee shirt. Invite guests early enough that they have time to get settled before tipoff. Provide plenty of seats, each with a good view of the game.
Set up at least two televisions, says Kevin King, general manager of Tanner’s Bar and Grill in Waldo (Kansas City), who has lots of experience meeting the needs of sports-crazy customers. If you want to go all out, buy a satellite package for one of the TVs so guests can watch games from across the country on it while the other TV is devoted to the regional games, he says. If the weather allows, put a television on the deck or patio and light the fire pit.
Make sure a small television or radio also is playing in the bathroom so guests don’t miss a moment, ehow.com suggests. Print out the basketball brackets and post them on the wall across from the toilet.
Decorate with school banners and posters, but don’t hang anything that obscures the view of the TV screen. Place small basketball hoops throughout the house and provide guests with Nerf basketballs. Let guests guess the winning teams — either of individual games or the entire NCAA bracket — and provide a special prize to the winner.
If some guests have no interest in basketball, give them something else to do. Set up a game of bunko or a conversation area in another room. For children, play movies in a bedroom. For food, set out dips and chips, bowls of popcorn and peanuts and a hearty meat tray. “This isn’t the time for a steak dinner,” King says. “The key is being able to watch the games. People aren’t into having plates of food because they are up jumping around.”
If you can’t stifle the urge to serve more substantial food, ladle up bowls of chili or grill hamburgers or hot dogs. Dessert can be easy-to-eat choices such as basketball-shaped cookies or brownies.
Although beer goes well with basketball, King emphasized that it shouldn’t be the emphasis of the party. Bottles of water or soda also should be available, and one or two designated drivers should be on hand.
BETWEEN GAMES …
•Give a prize to any guest who can sing his entire college fight song.
•Go outside and shoot baskets in the driveway.
•Pop EA’s NCAA March Madness in the Play Station or Xbox.
•Play a basketball movie like “Coach Carter,” “Hoosiers,” “Hoop Dreams” or “White Men Can’t Jump.”
Jan Landon is a freelance writer in Overland Park.
