News and photos

Issue No 30:
20 April 2005

Welcome to our thirtieth PartyChitChat. Just to let you know our news first:

• We have created a "meet and mingle" version of The Balmy Bahamas Cruise for 17 to 30 guests.
• We have created a "play" version of Mystery In The Library for 10 to 16 guests. Although it is a play, you don't have to use a stage. You can simply say your lines around a table or sitting in a circle on sofas. This is a flexible "one size fits all" type of kit so as long as the 10 suspect roles are filled, you can use it for however many guests turn up.

• We have added more good clean fun versions of One Of The Girls and we have removed the spicy versions from sale as these were not as popular.
• We have added a new standard format version of Storm Survivors for 12 to 16 guests.

• Our photo competition winners
• Feedback on using The Balmy Bahamas Cruise for teenagers

Our photo competition winners

We have had a number of very good entries for the photo competition this time. We would like to thank everyone who entered. The 3 winners are:

• Carol Valentine (Australia) for photos from her Luck Of The Irish "Saint Patrick's Day" party
• Lori Netsell (USA) for photos from her The Balmy Bahamas Cruise party
• Melanie Law (Dubai) for group photo from her One Of The Girls party.

We are commencing a new competition with a closing date of 1 June 2005 (see photos.htm for details).

Carol sent in this feedback about her "The Luck Of The Irish" party:

"Dear Stephanie,
Luck of the Irish was an appropriate choice as it was only a few days before St. Patrick's Day. It is the second "Merri Mystery" I have organized for my Rotary Club, The Rotary Club of Gawler Light, in South Australia.

The entertainment area in my house is set up like an old English pub, so it was easy to turn it into O'Toole's Irish Pub for the evening.

We had 32 participants and everyone had an absolute ball. We had green beer, stout (my husband is a home brewer) and Baileys Irish cream. I cooked Irish stew which I served with Irish soda bread and followed it with Irish sugar cookies. We even had a crock of chocolate gold coins and gave miniature bottles of Baileys Irish Cream for prizes.

Some of the Irish accents that were heard were absolutely hilarious as we had guests who were Scottish, Indian, Danish and from the north of England!
Thank you for making the game so easy to follow, our club enjoyed a wonderful night of fellowship and we are all looking forward to the next one."

Feedback on using The Balmy Bahamas Cruise for teenagers

Penny Sorensen held The Balmy Bahamas Cruise for her daughter's birthday party. Here is her feedback:

"I had a party just this past weekend for my daughters 14th birthday. It was a hit.

I almost died when the kids were walking through the door. I honestly never thought we would get people that were really into it. I mean a expected to come like the character suggestions, but not all out the way they did. We actually went and bought more prizes during the dinner because they went so far out.

These are 8th graders. We did the Balmy Bahamas Cruise. It was fun."

[Editor: Unfortunately Penny wasn't able to obtain permission from two of the parents to have their children's photo included in the competition, otherwise, her group photo would have been a photo winner. But we have decided to include her feedback and to give her a prize in any case.]

Here are photos from Carol's "The Luck Of The Irish" party:

Lori sent in this feedback about her party:

"I just wanted to let you know that the youth really loved playing
"The Balmy Bahamas Cruise". Who would have thought that someone
so "innocent" was the guilty one!

I have included a picture of my son and daughter, since I do not have
permission to send the entire group photo.

The kids had a "murderous" time.

Have a great day!

Lori"

Here are Lori's photos from her party:

Hercules

Twinkle-Fingers

Melanie sent in this feedback about her "One Of The Girls" party:

"We are all nursery teachers working in Dubai.

What a great laugh we had with this party. Everyone had went
to a lot of effort with their costumes. No-one guessed who the
murder was although there were a lot of accusations flying around.

Melanie Law"

Here is Melanie's group photo: