At long last, we’re at the end of the party planning process.  Hopefully you party planners will now have everything you need for your big bash.  Remember, if you have any questions as you go through this process over the next few weeks, feel free to email me. 

Step 15:  Print Your Emergency Clues
Every now and then your clues will be too tough for a team to handle.  Stocking their cauldron with emergency clues will keep them from falling too far behind.  To create them, use the file below and your Clue Hunt Agenda to create the emergency clues for each team (you’ll want to print them on that team’s paper).  Once they’re printed and cropped, seal them in numbered envelopes or fold them into quarters and staple them shut.  Add each team’s emergency clues to their cauldron.

Step 16: Print Your Ending Destination Sign & Tally Sheet
There’s a good chance that your team may not be the first to arrive at the ending destination so it’s important to make signs for the early-arriving teams.  On the day of the party, place the sign just outside the front door so that it will be easy for the teams to spot.  You’ll also want to print out a scoring sheet and place it near your Grand Cauldron in your house.  The teams will mark their arrival times on the sheet and you’ll use it to track everyone’s points at the end of the party.

Step 17:  Prep Your Ending Destination
You’ll have tons to do on the day of the party, so try to set up your ending destination in advance…if at all possible.  We’ve done several different arrangements for our ending destination.  For one party, we ended at a friend’s jack-o-lantern lined, wooded backyard and had a big bon fire.  In Erie, my apartment was so tiny that I was forced to have people go through my house to get food and then set up the seating and decorations in the backyard.  In Kansas, we set up the backyard and then were forced to move things inside when the weather didn’t cooperate.  Regardless of where you choose to set up your party, get as much done as you can in the days before the big event and you’ll save yourself tons of stress.

Step 18:  Hide Your Clues/Ingredients & Cauldrons
Generally, my husband does this while I prep the house on the day of the party.  You’ll want to postpone it as long as possible to avoid any unwanted attention.  When you’re ready to hide your clues, grab your ziploc bags of ingredients and your labeled sprinkler flags.  Place your flags low in the ground within about 50 feet of your clue spot.  For example, if I were hiding a clue in the brush along a walking trail, I would put the sprinkler flag near the trailhead sign.  Once you’ve got your ingredients hidden, sneak over to the starting destination and hide the cauldrons (they should have clue #1 and all the emergency clues inside).

Step 19:  Show Up at the Starting Location and Find Your Captain
This is the point where you start to enjoy the fruits of all your labors.  All the work and stress is behind you and you just get to sit back, relax and play along.  Trust me, you’ll have so much fun watching the teams scramble to find their ingredients and decipher your clues.  It can be tough to keep a straight face.  My favorite part is when they decode their last clue and it finally dawns on them that their host has been in their car all night long.  It’s so great to watch the stunned looks on their faces, you’ll love it.

Step 20:  Tally the Points and Award the Winners
Once all the teams arrive at the ending destination and they’ve had a little time to fill up on Krispy Kremes and Hot Chocolate you’ll want to tally the scores.  Grab the Tally sheet and the point breakdown (it’s on the second page of the Captain’s Instructions) and determine your winners.  Once they’ve been announced, award each couple their golden broomstick and snap a few pictures of the teams.  After that, sit back and enjoy the bustling conversation as the teams compare their experiences and brag about their conquests.  I promise you, it will be a night you’ll never forget! 

I know that’s a lot to take in and that most of you are just getting started in your party planning.  I’ll post a week-by-week checklist for you below.  This should help you keep track of your many pre-party to dos.  Good luck, everyone.  I hope you love this party as much as I have.  Don’t forget to email me pictures of your adventure.  I’d love to post your clue spots and challenge ideas for my other readers.   

***For those of you that are waiting patiently for organizing tips to resurface in my blog posts, I promise they’ll be forthcoming.  Now that I’m finished with my party tutorial, I’ll get back to my weekly postings on bright ideas and simple solutions.  Just thought I’d pass it on.