September 14, 2009
Thinking of being a host? It’s easier than you think! Here are some ideas:
Number of Guests
Invite the number of people YOU feel comfortable with. Is there room in your condo for 3 guests plus yourself? Can you get the Community Room at your condo and toast marshmallows for 20 people over the outdoor grill? You’ve always wanted to throw a block party and get to know the neighbors? They are all great ideas! Having you involved is more important than the number of people you invite.
Children
It is your decision on whether you’d like to include children in your gathering. Do whatever is comfortable for you and appropriate for your gathering.
Time of Day
Decide what time of day you’d like to host. Morning person? Fix breakfast foods and invite coffee aficionados to bring their favorite roast. Your little ones are best after their morning nap? Schedule a picnic lunch at the park where the kids can run around while you visit with new friends. Only your evenings are free? Throw burgers and brats on the grill and talk while you watch the stars come out. Make it easy on yourself.
Food
This can be as fancy or as casual as you’d like. At our inaugural event in June many of our hosts opted to do a potluck, which allowed the guests to be more involved in the dinner and provided alternatives for those with special dietary needs. Others provided the meal themselves, or co-hosted with another friend. It’s your choice. Always wanted to have a tea party, or deep fry a turkey, or make sushi? Now’s your chance!
Your Guests
This is the best part of the event! The goal is to make new connections in the community. How do you invite people you don’t know? Here are some ideas that have worked:
- Invite someone you know, and ask them to invite someone you don’t know. Chances are they have friends in their extended circle you haven’t met yet.
- Invite someone you know casually but would like to know better. It might be other parents from your kid’s soccer team, or someone you’ve sung in the church choir with for years but only talked with in passing. It could be the waitress who is always so friendly and remembers you’ll want the strawberry jam instead of the marmalade. It might be the gentleman who always helps you find the elusive ingredient you can’t locate at the grocery store. We all have lots of connections.
- This website is also a source of potential guests. There will be folks in the community who would like to participate but are not in a position to host. They will be able to complete a potential guest form through this website. We’ll collect their information and forward a summary of potential guest information to hosts via e-mail on a regular basis. As we get close to October 24, 2009, the e-mails will happen daily to ensure we find host homes for everyone who’d like to participate. You don’t have to select your guests via this method. However, it isn’t unusual to have your guest list finalized, only to have an unexpected work commitment or illness come up at the last minute. This can also help you fill any “holes” you may have in your guest list.
On the form potential guests complete we will ask for some optional demographic information. This may help you in planning the makeup of your group. For example, you may want to invite people who have something in common. This could be singles only, parents of pre-teens, or die-hard rodeo fans. Or you may want a group that’s diverse. This could be a mix of new Routt County residents along with ranchers who’ve lived here all their lives. Or you may enjoy having people of different ages, ethnicities, and cultures at your table. The mix of guests will provide lively conversation!
Conversation
One goal of Pass the Bread is to bring our community closer together and to think creatively about what makes a great community. You can use your gathering as a time to meet new people and enjoy good conversation. If you’d like to have a definite topic-driven conversation around the table, here are some ideas for discussion:
- Have a potluck dinner and ask people to bring food related to their cultural background.
- Ask guests to talk about what brought them to Routt County, and what they like most about living here.
- Have a group discussion on what we can do to make our community even better than it already is.
Can’t wait to get started? Sign up to be a host!
Lynne and Lynn-
We are hosting another “Pburg get-together” and inviting more neighbors we don’t know and who don’t know one another. We’re doing an appetizer buffet, asking all to bring a heavy appetizer and/or dessert. We’ll let you know how it and who turns out!
Todd