Outside of high school cafeteria food fights, produce rarely goes airborne, much less in a club atmosphere. But The Ivanhoe (Ill.) Club turned a dash of chaos into a family-oriented lesson in composting and recycling at its first Pitch the Pumpkin event.
It all started with a very large pumpkin.
One element of the club’s 2012 Halloween celebration included a “guess the weight of the pumpkin” game. After serving its holiday purpose, the club staff decided the oversized gourd had more life in it, and hatched a plan to put leftover pumpkins from members’ homes to good use as well.
“Everyone has pumpkins they are going to toss in the trash after Halloween is over, so we invited everyone to bring them to the club to toss,” says Joyce Halama, Ivanhoe’s Clubhouse Manager.
The club posted flyers throughout the property, included promotion in members’ bills, and used e-blasts and the Ivanhoe website to generate interest.
“The other added bonus for the kids was they got to throw their pumpkins off the top deck of the club, which they never get to do on a regular day,” Halama continues.
Kids and adult members launched their pumpkins off the clubhouse deck to the back lawn, aiming for an 8 ½ x 11-inch bullseye affixed 30 feet below on the Great Pumpkin that had been used for the guess-the-weight contest. Whoever actually broke the face of the pumpkin, now carved with a taunting smile (see photo below), received a complimentary beverage.
With 30 people in attendance during a time of year that would traditionally see about 10 people for Sunday brunch, the club used the opportunity to also spread the word about how the organic matter created by all the fun would be used to fertilize the golf course through composting.
THE GOAL: Develop family-centric events that are high in value but low in expenses, while increasing food-and-beverage business on otherwise slow days, and increasing interest in green initiatives at The Ivanhoe Club.
THE PLAN: Invite members to bring their used Halloween pumpkins to the club and toss them over the deck at a bullseye, then clean up the mess to learn how composting adds nutrients to the soil while reducing waste.
THE PAYOFF: Approximately 467 lbs. of broken jack-o-lanterns gave their pulp to the cause, and the resulting compost was used to fertilize the golf course. Thirty people participated in the event during a time of year that typically sees 10 people at Sunday brunch.
The Ivanhoe Club repurposed a pumpkin from its Halloween celebration to serve as the target for the event, and urged members to recycle their pumpkins as well.
“When it was all over, everyone helped the grounds department pick up all the broken pumpkins, so they could be used as compost out on the grounds,” says Halama.
The result was 467 lbs. of busted-up pumpkin pulp. As it was being collected, the club’s assistant grounds superintendent brought buckets of soil from different parts of the course, so participants could see the different types and touch the different textures. “Our goal was to create an awareness of how nutrients are added to the soil in many different ways and to create more family-friendly business at the club,” Halama says.
To round out the day, the club roasted marshmallows in fire pits, served hot chocolate, and provided TVs to watch the Chicago Bears game. Brunch was available as well.
The green-pumpkin initiative proved successful enough that plans for the next event are already being discussed by Ivanhoe staff; one addition may be taking a hay ride out onto the course, to see the different areas the soil came from.
Smashing pumpkins is not the only way the club incorporates green initiatives. For Halloween, The Ivanhoe Club used recycled paper for a “mummy wrap dance,” blew up 1,050 balloons without helium (which was in short supply), and incorporated eco-friendly construction paper and glue. “Our membership is more eco-friendly each year,” Halama says.
Instant IdeaTo guide third-party vendors during large events, The Kansas City Country Club, Mission Hills, Kan., created Custom Maps (above right) with measurements down to the inch or foot of where items should be placed on the club property. The effort ultimately required less supervision from the club’s staff and made vendors’ lives easier.
Ballroom Bliss
An audience breathlessly awaits the next pair of ballroom dancers to take the floor, ready to be dazzled by technique and showmanship. A panel of three judges is waiting, too, as are the formally attired co-hosts. The beautiful mirror-ball trophy is at the ready, to be awarded to the voted-in champions at the end of the event.
But wait, that’s not Tom Bergeron of “Dancing With the Stars” in the tux. And we’re not in Hollywood: We’re at the Hempstead (N.Y.) Golf and Country Club, home to an annual “Dancing Like the Stars” event.
It may take place many, many miles from ABC’s studios, but Hempstead’s production has just as much heart, soul and hard work as its network-TV counterpart—and with far fewer injuries or incidents of diva behavior.
The judging panel for Hempstead G&CC’s “Dancing Like the Stars” event, above right, is made up of former participants.
“The quality of the dancing has also improved year to year, and the competition has gotten fierce, but still fun,” says Hempstead G&CC General Manager Mark Westfield.
“Four of our very own members are paired with four professional dancers from the Ballroom Academy of Long Island,” explains General Manager Mark Westfield. “Each couple performs and competes at a dinner event for the coveted mirror-ball trophy and the title of Hempstead Golf & Country Club’s ‘Dancing Like the Stars Champion.’ ”
Now in its fourth year, the event draws approximately 200 attendees at $65 per person. Ticket-holders receive quite a bang for their bucks: the performances of four club members paired with professional dancers; the colorful commentary of the hosts and judges; a PowerPoint presentation (for viewing candid rehearsal photos, contestant bios and program information); a dinner buffet, and the opportunity to vote for their favorites. A live DJ provides the music for the evening.
includes members of Hempstead Golf & Country Club in a lively, entertaining atmosphere.THE PLAN: Modeled after the hit TV series, the
“Dancing Like the Stars” competition offers a mirror-ball trophy to the winner and participants have the opportunity to show off their moves before a live, exhilarating crowd.THE PAYOFF: Sold-out attendance and a reputation that has led to exposure for charity events
throughout the region, as well as interest in
regular dancing lessons held at the club.
The idea originated, Westfield recalls, when a local education foundation did a similar event with teachers and professional dancers at the club in 2009. Dr. Sal Pallazollo, Hempstead’s Entertainment Committee Chairman who is also a great fan of the TV show, wholeheartedly supported it.
“It was such a great success; we knew it would be a hit with our members performing as the amateurs,” Westfield explains. “The allure of members competing with fellow members and friends, and being cheered on by other members in the audience, has drawn sellout crowds in our main dining room each year. The quality of the dancing has also improved year to year, and the competition has gotten fierce, but still fun.”
Some refinements have been made to the program over the years, Westfield reports. The “Celebrity Judges” were originally members of the Hempstead Club’s House Committee, but now the judges are former contestants. The evening’s hosts are Westfield and Kimberly Molinet, the club’s front-desk receptionist; the pair introduces the contestants, solicits feedback after their performances, and banters with the judges for comments and scores.
Scoring is similar to the TV show, with a 30-point maximum. “But the audience votes as well, and the winner is determined by the highest combined total of the two scores,” Westfield explains.
For member competitors, the club pays for dance shoes, a $150 costume allowance, and approximately nine hours of dance lessons from the partner studio. The lessons take place over a two- to three-month period prior to the show, at the club, the dance studio or local halls. The couples perform one “fast” dance, with categories ranging from jitterbug to swing to salsa.
While Westfield says there’s more interest in being a spectator than a competitor among members, he notes that “the best advertisement for new dancers is the success of the previous year’s program, with former contestants urging them on.”
After the four member/pro performances, Sanj Hira, Director of the Ballroom Academy, and his professionals perform several demonstration dances that “always wow the audience,” Westfield says. While the demonstrations take place, the staff tallies the votes and the entire cast returns to learn who has earned the honors as this year’s best dancers.
“That is followed by dancing until the close of the event—with contestants, professionals, members and their guests, even the wait staff,” Westfield reports. “It is truly a fun night, and builds great camaraderie.”
Dance fever has caught on at Westfield to the point where several members, Hira reports, have begun to express an interest in having the Academy host dance lessons at the club on a regular basis. And because of the positive reviews and local media attention for the 2012 show, Hira and his team were able to bring together the dancers this May for a charity event to benefit Long Island’s Coalition Against Child Abuse & Neglect.
“It was for a great cause and a service that is quite endearing,” Hira says.
Hempstead’s next “Dancing Like the Stars” event is scheduled for November—with rehearsals starting in September.
Southern Comfort
THE PLAN: Host a Kentucky Derby-themed party with special festivities, including signature cocktails, live music and an after-party casino.
THE PAYOFF: A renewed interest in member events and a fresh idea for a repeat performance.
Blue Mound G&CC set up makeshift betting windows where members were given scrip money and a betting slip to place their bets on the race. Whoever won the most scrip money was awarded an item from a prize table.
The South may be the official home of the Kentucky Derby, but that doesn’t mean Midwesterners can’t enjoy the most anticipated horse race of the year. In May 2012, the Blue Mound Golf and Country Club in Wauwatosa, Wis., decided to host its own Kentucky Derby party, prompted by a suggestion from the club’s social committee.
“Come to Blue Mound and be a part of America’s oldest sporting event,” beckoned the invitation. “From the twin spires to the pageantry, round up your friends and come to our horse race watchers’ party.”
Invitations were sent out to members, along with several weekly e-mail blasts, to celebrate “the most exciting two minutes in sports.” The five-hour event, which boasted 80 members in attendance, began at 4 p.m. Central time, 90 minutes before the race was set to run.
To get patrons into the spirit of the event, a large flat-screen TV—connected to the club’s sound system—allowed for optimal viewing. Kentucky Derby-style refreshments were on hand, including a bourbon-tasting table, a walk-up bar featuring the race’s signature mint julep, and hand-passed Southern-style canapés.
A banjo trio, the Banjo Barons, serenaded guests with Dixieland, bluegrass and other Southern favorites, and played “My Old Kentucky Home” simultaneously with the telecast. Another musician played the “Call to Post” at designated increments of 30, 15 and 5 minutes before the race.
Guests were invited to dress in their Southern best, and women were encouraged to take part in the Derby Hat contest, to win a treat from the prize table.
Instant Idea
A twist on a fashion show, the Country Club of Virginia’s “Function Show” highlighted merchandise from the club’s retail shop, set to fun music for a high-energy show that was paired with a ladies’ luncheon and served to remind members that CCV’s retail shop had
more than just golf apparel.
Club Manager Keith Gressle, CCM, also arranged to have Kentucky-themed favors on hand. “We were able to get some free promotional items from Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark through our vendors,” Gressle notes. He also purchased official Derby items online, including a silver flask, Derby pins, bourbon cherries, and bourbon barbecue sauce.
And of course, no Derby party would be complete without a betting parlor. Gressle and his staff set up makeshift betting windows, at which members were given scrip money and a betting slip. Whoever won the most scrip money was awarded an item from the prize table.
For the $30 cover charge, Derby party guests were also treated to an after-party casino. Blackjack, craps, Texas Hold ‘Em and roulette began 30 minutes after the race’s end, for which guests earned more scrip money as they gambled. Guests could purchase raffle tickets with the scrip money, which were also used to give away prizes from the Derby prize table.
Gressle was pleased with the outcome of Blue Mound’s Derby party. “At the very least, it was a break-even function,” he notes. “But it provided our members with another opportunity to utilize the club during a day that was never considered in the past.”
If Blue Mound decides to host similar events, Gressle would like to keep the casino open longer. “We had some members who wanted to continue gambling,” he says.
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