Savor The Last Days Of Summer

Don’t let one of the most beloved seasons slip away without giving it a proper send-off! Hosting a gathering of your closest friends and family is a great way to slow down and top off all the great memories made over the summer. Choose a setting that most appeals to you: a beach party to savor the delights of the seaside one more time, a harvest party to celebrate local food, or a best-of-summer party to share memories and reminisce on everyone’s travels. Here are some ideas that will help you put the perfect crown on a beautiful summer.

Seaside Spree
Go to the beach for one last hurrah and do all of your favorite summer beach activities in one afternoon. Collect shells or rocks, build a sand castle, take a dip in the water, and go for a walk. You could also bring a football, frisbee, or volleyball to toss or bump around! When the hunger pains strike close to dinnertime, head home for a savory seafood feast. Fresh grilled fish, shrimp pasta, carmelized scallops.. enjoy a meal with your favorite seafood as the main focus. Crusty bread, grilled veggies, or roasted potatoes are great sides that complement seafood.

Harvest Party
Meet up after your local farmer’s market for some canning fun!  Ask each person to come to the party with a bag of their produce of choice, and a mouthwatering recipe they’d like to use to preserve it. Find out ahead of time which recipe everyone is using so you can make sure you have all the necessary ingredients.  Jam, salsa, and pickles are always a win! Once the last can has been sealed, settle in for a simple dinner outdoors.  Keep it fresh and simple with ingredients found at the farmer’s market that can be made quickly. Serve a simple fruit and cheese tray for an appetizer, and then fire up the grill for dinner. Grilled peaches topped with ice cream or honey for dessert sounds amazing!

Best-Of-Summer Soiree
Gather friends and family together so all can share their travels, funny stories, and favorite events of the summer.  Ask each person to bring photos so they can take a turn to share where they’ve been.  They may also want to bring mementos and an album to put everything in.  After sharing favorite places and memories, you can use the photos to make scrapbooks or albums of that favorite summer trip.  As host, provide a workspace with a selection of pens, glue, photo corners, and scrapbook paper.
Your guests may want to help set up the party - delegate party tasks to each guests.  Email a sign-up sheet to your guests in advance and ask your guests if they’d like to pick food, drinks, or party decor to bring.  Some people don’t like to cook, but might love to bring decor like a mason jar of garden blooms or a string of outdoor lights to hang over the table.  It’s a fun way to involve your guests and at the same time makes hosting the party a bit easier for you!

Do you have a bash planned for the end-of-summer?  If you were to use one of these ideas, how would you add to it?