Country & Western Theme Parties
Country & Western parties are popular everywhere, and those with the music, décor and food all based on a country & western lifestyle are always a big hit. Combine the casual comfort of down-home finger foods and Western hospitality, tell everyone to 'go cowboy' for the evening, and hold the party outside on the patio, with guitar music, paper lanterns hung from the tree limbs and space to dance, and it's a major event. Does this Spark an idea?
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History
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When neighbors could take a break from running a farm or a ranch and get together, that was always an occasion for a party, and the origin of today's Country & Western parties. The barn-raisings, quilting bees and calf-brandings of the Westward Expansion always included many families getting together and sharing lots of food and hard work. Men and boys did the outside physical labor, while the women prepared and served a memorable meal.
Features
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Country & Western music includes the old movie cowboys who sang and yodeled, to Western Swing with Bob Wills, to the very newest stars of the Grand Ol' Opry. Usually held outside in good weather, Country & Western party guests serve themselves buffet-style. Cowboy Poetry is a nice addition, with its plaintive tales of life on the range, or guests may want to sing the old songs like, "The Ol' Chisholm Trail."
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Types
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Country & Western themes include staging a chuck wagon lunch, renting an authentic wagon with a cook dressed for the part, or a barbecue over an open fire pit, with a side of beef slowly roasting. A chili cook-off is another type, or a group may attend a local rodeo and then come to the party afterward. There are also glamorous 'denim and diamond' parties planned around the Country Music Awards ceremony every year.
Identification
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Casual dining, with the meal cooked over an open fire, served outside and guests dressed in Western wear, which can include western-cut tuxedos for the men and embroidered dresses with full, gathered skirts for the ladies, and everyone in their best cowboy hats helps identify this kind of party. If there's horseback stunt-riding or rope tricks, square-dancing, clogging or banjo pickin' on the porch, it's a Country & Western party.
Warning
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Some Country & Western parties include horseback riding or stagecoach rides, but if guests are afraid of horses or won't do well with a jolting, rough ride, it's better to have other entertainment. Less-spicy alternatives to the chili, and some vegetarian dishes would be good for guests with special dietary needs. If there's to be a bonfire, observe the usual precautions, and have a water hose and buckets of water close at hand.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Microsoft Office Clip Art
