Jacob Cedric's 2nd Backyardigans Pirate Party (Part I)

       Yay! At last, Jacob’s party was over – and it was a Blast! I’m so excited to share all the ideas, details and photos from his 2nd Backyardigans Pirate Party! Here are the details, enjoy! 

      Theme: Backyardigans Pirate Party My Jacob is soo into Backyardigans – thanks too Amos (nephew of our friend, Arnel) who gave the DVDs as a gift on his 1st birthday. I, personally thought of having its one episode as his theme for the 2nd party. I was torn between “Heart of the Jungle and “Pirate says Arrr” episodes – but with the venue we rented , Pirate theme fits! 

(Note: 2nd party – it wasn’t a plan to have a 2nd birthday party as big as this [as I promised my husband last year :-)], but my mother requested to have a party (though not this grand) in Laguna since the 1st party was is Manila (Ortigas – click here for 1st Sesame Street Party). 

        Party Planning in Laguna (or Province, in general) or throwing a not so ordinary, unique party in the province is quite difficult to pull off! The suppliers are very limited, or if opt to bring them from Manila, the rate is waaay higher! I’m so glad I had close group of contacts (suppliers), and for second time in a row, they made Jacob’s party truly memorable and special for everyone.

Date and Time: 11 Sept 2011 – 3 o’clock in the afternoon 

Venue: Pavilion Area, Panguil River Eco-Park, Panguil Laguna 

Website: www.panguilecopark.com 

        It’s really our first choice for Jacob’s party (though, at some point we consider another spacious venue - blog it here). The place is soo nature-looking, and I know everyone, especially those guests coming from Manila will enjoy scenery and place like the eco-park. We rented out the Pavilion area for a whole day. 

Included in the amenities are: 

               □ Our guests are free to enjoy the water stream/river (take a dip or swim) 

               □ Free use of the Pavilion Area ( including the tables and chairs [with linens] 

               □ Free sound system 

What really caught my eye and it soo fits our theme is the Hanging Bridge! Connecting the main road of the eco-park to the Pavilion Area. 

Hanging Bridge @ Panguil Eco-Park

Other amenities of the eco-park (which are not included in our rental) are: 

            □ Trekking/Hiking to Ambon-Ambon Falls (we tried it last Holy Week 2011- post here)

        □ Water rafting These could be address/inquire directly at their office. 

Advantages: 

□ The Guests (even US), especially those who came all the way from Manila enjoyed the venue. They even to a dip at the river. 

□ Affordable and very spacious venue. The rental is food of one day. 

Disadvantages:

□ [Good thing we arrived early to check and setup] The Administrator forgot to advise the Tenant/caretaker regarding Jacob’s Party. When we arrived, many hikers who had overnight stay were still in the Pavilion resting. 

□ Their staffs were quite “slow movers”. We have to help them out setting up some tables and chairs. □ The party ended late, no street lights in the area! Watch you step especially when crossing the Hanging Bridge 

Price: P6000.00 

Verdict: We will still rent the venue for our future occasion. RECOMMENDED! 

Foods and Menu: Setting a party in the province means lots of unexpected guests . So,my parents decided to have a 90-100kg pig for the event. The good thing about our province, is the “Bayanihan type” of gesture. You could just ask friends (friends of my parents) to help out, cook and prepare the menu for the party. 

Here are the menu prepared by my parents: buffet set-up (for adults)

                       □ Rice 

                       □ Menudo 

                       □ Caldereta 

                       □ Hamonado 

                       □ Embutido 

                       □ Fried Chicken 

                       □ Fresh Lumpia 

                       □ Lumpia Shanghai 

                       □ Kinilaw na Beef ( c/o Ate Czel by MIL) 

                       □ Spaghetti 

                       □ Water 

                       □ Leche Flan 

                       □ Buco Pandan 

                       □ Pichi Pichi 

        Good thing that my family has food warmers, etc so we do not have to hire catering services. All the plates and utensils are disposable. 

        For the kids, since we had good experience with styro packs during Jacob’s 1st birthday party, we decided to do this again. We bought around 100 pcs of Styro packs with Disposable Utensils. For the drinks, I opted to serve water and scramble (details below) . 

Here’s the food we served for them. 

              □ Spaghetti 

             □ Fried Chicken

We opt not to give lots of food since Candy/Dessert Station is open anytime they want to get treats. Alloted budget for this is P35,000.00 (from me and hubby). I don’t know how much my parents added. Verdict: Super Love it! Saves a lot of money and serves a lot to guests and neighbors. 

Cheers,