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Some years back, I won an ice cream party from Edy's. I won another the next year, and from then on everyone assumed it was an annual event. One thing about ice cream is it's not that expensive.
I invite everyone I know, and I can usually figure the number that RSVP will be the number that show up -- usually it's right on the nose even though some people come who didn't RSVP, but there are always those who don't show. So by the week of, I have a pretty good idea how many to plan for.
It's a really casual event, so when purchasing party supplies, I keep an eye open all year long. This year I found lots of Christmas tablecloths, Emoji paper plates in different sizes, and even napkins at the Dollar General 25 cent after Christmas clearance. With some of the tablecloths just being red, no one has to know it was intended for Christmas.
Because our backyard is small for a crowd of about 50, I started renting the pavilion in the park. It has electric, so that makes it fantastic. There is also nice play equipment for the kids. The downside of this is the logistics of having ice cream in the park in summer aren't exactly easy. So, I often make my own ice cream cake as this holds up well in the heat.