The Savannah morning news., 1903-06-07
PORCH PARTIES
MAKE UNIQUE
ENTERTAINMENT

One of the most unique and pleasant
modes of summer entertaining has
been evolved from the brains of a few
clever women blessed with originality
and adaptability TO all conditions of
'Su!Ali
Unless one is the fortunate posses
sor of large and picturesque lawn.
home party in the open air seems
out of the question. Yet the typical
! indoor affair, with piano playing ice
cream, cake, desultory dancing and
| card playing. has become altogether an
old story, and a thing not to be de-
| sired on warm, dreamy, midsummer
| evening.
But if you have a porch, and clever
| fingers to decorate it, you may give a
pretty and pleasant outdoor party. even
| If you do not possess square inch Il
| grass around the house. OF course
| there are porches and porches. In
! fact, there are porches. verandas and
plain, everyday stoops. The stoop is
out of the question, because on a
moQnlit night it only takes two to
make a successful stoop party. Even
a Chinese lantern would be de trop.
If you live in a whole house, with
a large veranda attached, invite all the
| guests you want. The overflow will
| sit on the steps and ratings, and think
1t all the more fun. Chinese and Ian
anese lanterns are the first essentials.
| The toy ones, which can be bought for
! 10 cents or Is cents dozen, are pretty
to string on cords and loop overhead
| while the large ones may be hung he
| tween the posts.
Beg, borrow or steal a few palms or
rubber plants. They are cool and dec
orat1ve, but put them in places where
no one will stumble over them. Flow
ering oleanders or azaleas look well in
the soft light, and some climbing vines
on the outside will transform your
| porch into veritable fairy bower
! One woman, who lives in the suburbs
I and had no chance of getting anv
palms or plants, gathered loose
lunches of sweet clover, and nailed
them around the top of the porch and
! in the corners. The effect was delight
full, and the faint, sweet Fragrance
| added a rustic charm.
| One corner should be utilized for the
refreshment table. Place il conven-
| iently near an open window. so that
the dishes may be passed in and ont of
1T, and thus avoid going around among
the guests. The table should either
have pretty girl in attendance, or
run itself in buffet style Ice cream
cake and sandwiches are the standard
! eatables, but variation is possible. espe-
cially with the sandwiches. 1t is hest
to choose filings that are easily kept
cool. Deviled yolks of eggs on let
tuce are dainty, or ham and nuts
chopped together very fine, and mixed
with mayonnaise, may be used Salad
sandwiches are to be preferred to plain
meat, as butter is then unnecessary
| We have all experienced plain ham or
cold meat sandwiches in warm wealth
! err with the butter in hopeless. STATE
! of liquid collapse.
! Iced tea should be on hand in album
| dance A separate, smaller table may
| be used for drinks. Have the tea in
large glass pitcher, flanked by a fan
| cy bowl of loaf sugar and slices of lem
on placed in glass dish with cracked
! ice.
Fruit lemonade is delicious, inexpen-
slve and easy to make. Use as many
| oranges as you do lemons for a foun-
! dalton, and add either crushed straw
| berries or red raspberries The dark
berries are not good to use, as they
| give a gluish color to the water. which
spoils the effect. Save some of the fin
est berries whole to put in last Add
slices of orange, some red cherries and
sprlgs OF green peppermint, and you
Will nave tempting beverage for
warm night.
-. Ices may take the places of ice cream
| II desired, and the menu may be varied
10 suite the taste or ability of the host
ess. A girl who gave a porch party to
! her classmates decorated entirely with
! wild crab-apple blossoms, and all the
refreshments were strawberries served
III different styles. Another, with a
taste for the unique, gave flower cos
tune party, where each guest repre-
scented some flower Prizes were Civ
en- Tor the best costume, and also for
the most complete list of correct
! guesses. One young man was declared
| Ineligible because he had not complied
| with the spirit of the party by coming
IN fancy costume. but sharp-eyed girl
spied safety-pin fastened on the lapel
OF his coat. and put him down as
| bachelors button"
In one of the top floor eyries of a
| tour-story apartment house a porch
| party was given last July which is to
be duplicated this year, owing to its
| great success. The inhabitants of the
eyrie are a trio of young bachelors,
| who long ago fled from boarding
houses and pitched their tents under
| the flag of commonwealth Being I'M
der obligation to many of the gentler
sex, in the line of entertaining, they
| gave fireworks party on their back
porch, and invited the girls and the
most congenial of the mothers
The decorations were according to
the masculine idea. Skyrockets and
| punches of fireworks were festooned
here and there. and a pan of red fire
| burned internationally. From the roof
ing overhead dangled an assortment
| or Chinese curiosities, sprawling green
frogs and griffins, and fat, speckled
| spiders, with red and gold dragons
! and gorgeous butterflies interspersed.
Fire balloons were set free to sail out
upon the sea at night, and skyrOckets
and kissing fiery serpents were sent
up.
But the real pleasure of the evening
I was the magnificent view which the
| party had of other celebrations. The
streets and houses below were agloW
with goblin lights, and the sky was
like the transformation scene in an
extravaganza, with hundreds of rock
cts shooting up from all directions, and
falling stars from Roman candles gilt
tering like firefiies.
It does not matter what kind Of
porch you have, so long as it is a perch
all things are possible. Only a little
ingenuity is needed.
A few hammocks may be swung
where they will not be in the way,
and there should be a plentiful sup
ply of cushions and mats. The jap
| anese braided grass mats are GOOD
if one has them; If not, trot out al
the cosiest easy chairs you own, ana
! don't disdain camp stools and foot
rests.
Try to include among your guests
that blessed feature of summer the
boy or girl who plays the mandolin
or guitar, for there is no time when
10 haC t,ak toI,o an n