Cool At The Pool!!! 5 Games Top Notch Recommends for Pool Parties this Summer!

      As the Memorial Day Weekend comes to a close one thing is for certain, Summer is officially upon us, which means the opportunity for fun in the sun, and parties at the pool. Through the years, Top Notch DJ Service has practiced a multitude of activities and games at Pool Parties for children and adults. In fact, when it comes to Pool Parties, our service excels more so at the activities we play than the music we provide. With that being said, here are five unique and thrilling poolside games that Top Notch DJ Service recommends to help your pool party bash be a blast!

1. Water Balloon Catch- No, this isn't your normal “Water Balloon Toss”, involving all guests to line up and attempt to toss and catch a water balloon from opposing sides of a line. Instead, this specific activity involves teams of 2, a water balloon and a beach towel. Therefore, the only prep work required for this activity is a water filled balloon. Guests should be in teams of 2. As the game begins, each team should take a towel, which each team member holding an opposite side of the cloth (long ways) and the towel should be completely spread out. A water balloon is then placed in the middle of the towel as the team members hold both ends. When the game host announces “Throw”, each team should attempt to toss their balloon high in the air and catch it with their towel. This action is repeated until only a few teams are left. To make things more difficult the remaining final teams are required to fold their towel one to two times which should decrease the length of the towel (and room to catch the balloon). The team with the final balloon left in their towel is the winner. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Junk in the Trunk- This activity is also known as a “Minute to Win It” game that can be played at various type of parties or events. How it works: All Participants must wear a contraption that composes of a Kleenex box filled with 5-8 Ping Pong Balls. The Kleenex box is attached the individuals waist, with the box resting on each participants backside. Each participant must “shake their junk” until all ping pong balls are shaken out of their Kleenex box. The first person to shake all of their balls out first is the winner. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Shoot the Ball- This activity has been featured in our “Labor Day Fun” clip which can be assessed here. How it works: All members need a pack of tennis or raquet balls and a water gun or water squirter (which can be purchased at any Dollar Store, Wal Mart, Target, etc.). The tennis ball can is turned upside down, with 1-2 tennis balls still remaining in the can (for weighted purpose) while 1 ball is placed on the top of the upside down can. All game participants must attempt to shoot the ball off of the tennis ball can with their water squirter. A point system for each “hit” can be assigned per individual or team to determine the winner.
   SIDE NOTE: Top Notch DJ Service often uses different colored tennis balls, or tennis balls and racquet balls simultaneously for this activity to keep track of each participants progress (ie: Team Yellow Tennis Balls, Team Racquet Ball, etc) 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Sidewalk Darts- This activity is played like the normal game of Darts however no pens nor actual dart board is used. In place of these items, a giant dart board is drawn alongside the pavement using sidewalk chalk. Additionally, in place of the dart pens, all game participants are provided wet, colored sponges. Participants may then attempt to land on the bulls eye by “tossing” the wet sponge onto the side walk chalked dart board. NOTE: This game will most likely not work unless the sponges are wet, as the light weight of a dry sponge is less likely to obtain as much distance. 
   
   
   
   
   
5. Water Balloon Relay- Items required are a water balloon and a tool for carrying the water balloon from team to team. Individuals are broken up into teams and required to carry the water balloon to the finish line and back and then pass the water balloon and carrying device to the next team member in line. The first team to get all team members to carry the water balloon to the finish line and back successfully wins. The trick is to locate a creative, yet difficult tool for carrying the water balloons for each team. Top Notch DJ Service usually uses a large wooden spoon, or even a number of plastic spatulas for this game. All participants cannot hold the balloon during the relay, they must balance the balloon alongside the carrying device (ie” Wooden spoon or spatula). If all teams have dropped and popped the balloon before successfully completing the game, then a “round 2” with new balloons can be assigned. 
   
   
   
   
   

Again, the below are just a few of the numerous fun games that Top Notch DJ Service plays at Pool parties during the Summer. For more ideas, or games feel free to visit past blog articles or simply shoot an email to topnotchdjservice@gmail.com. Thanks for reading and please feel free to let us know if you try any of the above games at your next pool party or event! 

Top 10 Mother Son Wedding Dance Songs

       The Mother-Son Dance Song. It’s a specific event that is somewhat expected at weddings, yet for a groom, this particular song choice can and is most often the most difficult song selection he will choose throughout the wedding reception. It should be noted, that, Top Notch does believe that the official First Dance between the Bride and Groom is an exceptional point of the wedding reception, and “YES”, this song selection is often required from the groom, but, a groom’s fiancée usually either makes this decision, or aids the groom in determining the First Dance Song, whereas when it comes to the Mother-Son Dance Song, a groom can find himself all alone in the decision making process. The song selection must be carefully selected. There are a number of uplifting, and inspirational tunes which may be applied to a mother figure “Hero” by Mariah Carey  for example, “Because You Loved Me” by Celine Dion is another, yet many of these selections can simply seem too “sappy” and do not accentuate the character nor personality of the groom. Other optional choices, can be quite lengthy (“A Song for Mama” by Boyz 2 Men  or “Simple Man” Lynyrd or Skynyrd or Shinedown), so choosing the most accurate, and authentic song to describe a groom’s relationship with his mother can be challenging. During the majority of our consultations with new wedding customers, Top Notch advises each couple of this challenge and  naturally recommends some of our top “Most Played” Mother-Son Dance Songs. Our Top 10 List of the Most played is below.

Top Mother-Son Dance Songs

1.     “My Wish” by Rascal Flatts

2.     “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong

3.     “Mom” by Garth Brooks

4.     “You’ve got a Friend” by James Taylor

5.     “In My Life” by The Beatles

6.     “You Raise Me Up” by Josh Groan

7.     “You’ll be in my Heart” by Phil Collins

8.     “Love Me Like a Rock” by Paul Simon

9.     “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys

1.     “The Perfect Fan” by The Backstreet Boys

For more Mother-Son Song ideas, feel free to contact Top Notch directly at topnotchdjservice@gmail.com

Closing Time!!

      It's happening! Your event is going smoothly and it appears that your guests are having a great time! All of the worrying, stress, and detailed oriented planning has boiled down to this day, this time and this point. You look around, you soak in the moment and ultimately a sense of ease, and accomplishment spreads through your emotions. All that is left is for the band, Dj or entertainment to simply amuse your guests for a little while longer and then this event will draw to a close. It should be smooth sailing from here! By the way, what time is it now anyway? How much time remains before your DJ, photograher, photo booth and other vendors have to leave? You check the time. OH NO!!!!!!! That time is NOW!! Or even worse....that time has passed!!!! And we only have the venue until 10pm and it's 9:45pm!!!!!

When in the above illustrated scene, an event planner may have 2 resolutions to swiftly solve this dilemma, which are

1. Attempt to see if the vendors as well as the venue will allow you to extend your purchased time, which most likely will be at an additional charge that could completely ruin your event budget. Or option
2. #2 Getting the heck out of there as soon as possible!!

Sadly, 85% or more of the customers that Top Notch has worked with in the past, have selected option #2. The result, is ultimately a chaotic fluster of guests exiting, family, friends or acquaintances assisting, and vendors swiftly packing to bring what was a successful evening of enjoyment to a screeching halt. Your guests final memory of the event could be one of dissatisfaction, simply because “closing time” was not planned accordingly. It is a scene that Top Notch witnesses continuously. As an experienced Disc Jockey, I strive to advise future clients of this principle. It may seem like an elementary concept that should go without mentioning, but, unfortunately, a large majority of event planners do not consider the closing time for an event. 

With that being said, a good rule of thumb to consider ALWAYS is this “The last hour reserved for the venue and vendors should not be considered as the “until” time frame to conclude an event” For example, if a bride and groom have booked a venue until 11pm for their wedding, it usually does not mean their wedding reception should last until 11pm. In fact, a large majority of venues require all vendors, family members and even decorations out of the vicinity by the last hour booked. In other words, that same bride and groom in actuality, are required to conclude their wedding reception, guests should have left, and the venue should be clean by 11pm. In this specific case, it may be wise to plan on concluding the event at 10, and allowing the additional hour for all “closing factors” that one must consider. What are “closing factors”? The actions and circumstances that one must consider while attempting to end an event. 

Consequences for customers that neglect to consider all closing factors may be forced to expense a large, inconvenient, overtime fee from the venue and even from the vendors that are hired. It is therefore, essential while planning an event to consider the appropriate time for concluding the affair. Furthermore, an event planner should be aware of the time frame all vendors involved in the event may require to exit as well. By simply practicing this simple notion, one can insure that their event should conclude at a planned time accordingly, without sudden disruption. Even more so, guests will egress joyfully and satisfied, instead of experiencing the frustrating, helter-skelter that can derive from an unplanned conclusion of an event. For yourself, for your guests and for your budget, always consider “closing time” when planning an event.