Thursday, October 31, 2013

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!





 May all your haunts be happy ones dear Readers!

-Mick-

Monday, October 28, 2013

I Love A Blonde With Good Legs...

(Hey there sexy, welcome to the Casablanca family!)

I was not in the market for a coffee table dear Readers, but when I spotted this one at Goodwill it wouldn't let me leave the store without it! Obviously from the 50's 60's I love those slanted base legs. I hemmed and hawed over it and passed it by... Patricia showed me a picture she had taken of it earlier in the week but hadn't had time to send me, and I still wasn't sold. We really need an ottoman for more seating in the new living room, but i've yet to find a 1950's 60's one to fit the bill... so for a bank breaking $10.00 this table started a new 'leg' of its life at the Casablanca.
( Corabelle- "Daddy, you know we needed an ottoman here...")
Cora is unsure what to think about it, but she likes to crawl under things so I'm sure she'll be lounging underneath those laminate surfaces soon.
What finally sold me on the table is the blonde wood, Formica tops, and legs kind of match my grandmothers small side fountain table (that is between the two chairs in the back ground) and I could always use this pair in my "real house" someday. Along with, while the new room fights the battle of  "Blonde furniture vs Dark" this now brings the blonde count up to four pieces, and dark to three (not including the legs on the sofa and chairs which are dark.) I wouldn't mind having all blonde pieces, BUT the Predicta TV cabinet and the perfectly good working piano that friend Joe gave me are dark wood! So it is a TBC toss up... 

Now I need to find a long skinny "atomic" planter to put in the center of the coffee table!

-Mick-

Friday, October 25, 2013

The 1959 Casablanca Costume Ball!

(Ghoulish greetings dear Readers!)
Come one, come all to the Casablanca Costume Ball... what fun our friends had last Saturday night at the annual costume party! This years party theme was "Disney movies, and TV shows" and our friends came up with some pretty clever costumes!
(Nearly 60 guests in all!)
(It's Halloween Here at Mick's

Everyone really out did themselves this year on costuming! I don't believe there was a single store bought costume present.
(The Noble family as The Incredible's!)
(Friends Peyton and Kacie as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum)
(Friend Caitlyn as Jesse the Cowgirl and Zack as Genie from Aladdin)
(A close up of Caitlyn as Jesse the Cowgirl.)
(Friend Joe as Wreck It Ralph and Patricia as Venellopy VonSchweets)
(Friend Cindy as Jimminey Crickett! The girl version of Jimmney Cricket.)
(Tres as Will Turner and Austin as Captian Jack Sparrow!)
(The Schaeffer family as Mary Poppins, Burt, and a gang of chimney sweeps)
(Alex as Minnie Mouse, Heather, Heathers sister, and Cody as The Kids and bird from "UP")
(Photographer Teresa, and Margaret as Mr. Potato Head.
Her shirt had Velcro pieces on it, and you could rearrange the face! )
(Jordan as Cinderella's carriage pumpkin and Jarrod as The Mad Hatter.)
(Kate as Rapunzel, Joseph as The Lone Ranger, and Austin as Captain Jack)
(Myself as Ron Stoppable and Bonnie as Kim Possible!)
 (Jesse the Cowgirl and Austin P. as Christopher Robin.)
(Matt as The Pixar Lamp Logo)
(Friend Austin D. as The Magic Carpet and Jacob as Aladdin.)
(Friend Stephine as A Newsie, Jennifer as Cruella Deville, and Dan as Captain Nemo!)
(Caitlyn, Brianna as Alice in Wonderland, and Jasmine as Lilo.)
(Chris as Jack Skellington and his wife Sarah as Sally 
from "Nightmare Before Christmas", 
and friend Melissa as "Lady Dog" from Lady and the Tramp.)
(Caitlyn again and Friend Emily as Boo.)
(
(Friends Russ and Deanna as Walt and Lillian Disney.)
(Russ even made "business cards" for Disney Studios to had out at the Party!)
(The Williams family! Friend Spencer as Peter Pan, baby Emma as Tinker Bell, and Lara as Wendy.)
(Corabelle as Belle from Beauty & The Beast.)
(Ron Stoppable and Hannah as A Greek Muse)
There were so many GREAT costumes, and I know I sadly didn't get pictures of all of them. I owe a thanks you to Mrs. Wilcox, Caitlyn, and Jordan for the majority of the pictures I do have! 
Once everyone had arrived and we had taken the group photo and movie, everyone made themselves at home, chatted, and helped themselves to the Hot Dog/Chili Dog Buffet we'd set up in the house.
 (Sheldon and Kayleigh bob for dessert!)
After dinner the evenings entertainments began, a special thank you to friend Margaret, for being the chairman of the "eats" committee and organizing everyone to bring food! Because we didn't know what the weather  was going to do we didn't set up a stage, so everyone piled out of the house and congregated in the front yard. A few kids turned their car headlights on for "Stage lights" and the show began!
(Hannah and the Hann-ett's singing "I won't say I'm in love".)

(Next up the Hit singing group Mom and Pop with "A Whole New World".)

(After some techincal difficulties, Genie Zack takes it away with "Never had a friend like me!")

(And for our show stopping finale friend J.T. with the help of his brothers and the cast of Beauty & The Beast invite you to "Be Our Guest!")

Applause all around for our preforming troupe, it was now time to hand out ballots and vote for the Costume Contest and the coveted Hallomingos (Halloween flamingos)! After the voted were tallied the results were as follows!

THIRD PLACE-
 (The Group from "Up"!)
SECOND PLACE-
(The Family Von-Schaeffer as Mary Poppins, Burt, and Chimney Sweeps!)

 AND FIRST PLACE FOR THE 1959 COSTUME CONTEST-
A TWO WAY TIE!
(The Nobel family, Rachel, Caleb, & Craig as The Incredibles!)
 (Chris and Sarah as Jack and Sally! from "Nightmare Before Christmas")

The voting was SO hard, there were so many fantastic costumes! We love that our friends really get competitive and go all out for the contest. Prizes awarded, guests made their way to the Drive-In to find seats for a viewing of Disney's "Hocas-Pocas" on the big screen.
(A little chilly, but a lot of fun!)
Around 10:30 some of our younger guests had to depart from the festivities, but the party was far from over! 
 (Zack, Emily, Jacob, and Mary playing the writing game "What If")
Some of our friends and Casablanca member's were preforming in a production of "Little Shop of Horrors" and planned to drive our and join the fun after the show. True to their word, they arrived to the party around 11:00P.M. and much to my surprise in full costume!
(Sheldon, and the Ladies of the "2 O'Clock Club"!)
 (Friends Emily A as Pocahontas, Terrace as Lilo, 
Alexys as Briar Rose, and Kelcie as a Mouseketeer!)
These gals arrived just in time to eat a hot dog dinner and join us for a (not so Disney, but) long time Casablanca tradition,  we ALWAYS show "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" on the Drive -In as the last movie of the Costume Ball, and OH YES, we dance the Time Warp too!
("Science Fiction, Double Feature...")
By midnight the temperature had dropped down into the low 50's and there was a breeze that stepped things up from chilly to freezing in periodic gusts. However most bundled up and stuck it out to the end of the movie. The movies credits flickered across the screen right at 2:45A.M. Sunday morning. After picking up our mess, Patricia and I said goodnight and goodbye to the last party guests, and friend Austin P. wrote down another successful party in the door frame of the kitchen.

Later that day I posted some lyrics from this famous Disney song as parting words to our wounderful friends.

"Now it's time to say goodbye to all our company,
M-I-C, See ya real soon! K-E-Y, 
Why? Because we like you!
M-O-U-S-E."





-Mick-

P.S.

 I will try to have a post about all the house decorations sometime next week!


Tuesday, October 15, 2013

"Dance at the Gym" - The West Side Story Cast Party!


The Sharks and the Jets converged on neutral territory One last time at the 56th street Gymnasium for the annual "Corn Ball Dance" But this time the switchblades were left at home!


(All dressed up for the dance, lovelies Cindy, Patricia, & Caitlyn!)
The Public Pavilion   56th Street Gym  was stocked and festooned for the occasion!
 
Cast members started to arrive around 5:30P.M. on the event page we told everyone to dress up "sweet and sharp" (a direct quote from the show) so most everyone came in 1950's NON POODLE SKIRT attire, AND HOW!
 (Friends Allison, Jonathan, Kate, & Jacqueline!)
(Joseph, Jenn, Tres, & Craig!)
(Zack, Jennifer, Cindy, Caitlyn, Patricia, Jordan)
 (A little bit of leg...)
(Jarrod (as Riff 2.0), Cameron, Seigen, & Sheldon)
(Eric, Bonnie, Nic & Hannah)
(Eric & Bonnie)
(Anastasia, Jacob, & Jonathan)
 (Stephanie & Dan)
("PLEASE! Everything was going so well! Do you fellows get pleasure out of making trouble? Now come on-it won't hurt you to have a good time.")
These three ladies are from Midwestern State University, they are filming a documentary about the Wichita Theatre and they asked to join us at the Casablanca to film the cast party! After everyone had arrived we kicked the dance at the gym off by doing the "dance" number from our show. (ONe of my favorite parts!) Unfortunately my phone ran out of storage space, but friend Hannah managed to catch the BEST part of the Mambo before it ran out of film.

We all love to dance! So after this number the guys decided to mimic the ladies number "America" from the show!


(Stephen Sondheim would be proud...)

Just for kick's here is how that number really goes- preformed by the ladies...


The ladies then in turn took a stab at the guys song "Officer Krupkie"-


 
 (Terrace, Jordan, Zack, & Jarrod.)
After the Choreographed dances were over, the real dance began and it was an exciting evening of jitterbugging, of course there was a limbo contest and the Hokey Pokey too!

(The Cake!)
Special ordered from our locally famous "Kathy's Bakery" The Cast cake came complete with show logo and gang signs (of my own design)! 
Our lovely director Lara took charge of slicing and serving cake to all the TEENAGE HOODLUMS Party Guests at the 56th Street Gym.

We 'strolled', slow danced, and cha-cha-cha'ed the night away and as friend Terrace put it -
"It was a night to remember and a great 
way to say goodbye to West Side Story..."

This Party, this show everything it was all so much fun and Patricia and I are SO glad we could be a part of it! A big Thank You to the Jackson family for letting us host the cast party at the Casablanca! Thanks also to- friends Abbie, Lara, Caitlyn, Terrace, Patricia, Joseph, Zack, and Jacob for helping get things for the dance ready! Also thanks to everyone who came and brought food or drink! I sure hope you all had as much fun as we did, it was a wonderful night of singing and dancing, and I'm so glad I could share it all with you!

"Te adoro, West Side."

-Mick-