14 Friday, June 22, 1984

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

The Willis bat mitzvah with a Munsters'
theme: Lara, Randy, Ken and Barbara,
with Grandma Grunia Keats at right
dressed as Grandpa Munster.

Continued from Page 1

There have been several famous
celebrations in recent years, includ-
ing a lavish affair at Miami's Orange
Bowl, complete with helicopters, and
a famous bar mitzvah party at the
Pontiac Silverdome costing tens of
thousands of dollars. Caterers say
parties costing between $5,000 and
$10,000 are the norm today.
Many people opt for a party far
removed from traditional Jewish fare
and believe fun and creativity should
be the keynote of the celebration.
Barbara and Kent Willis of Birming-
ham used a "Munsters" theme from
the TV show on the occasion of their
daughter Lara's bat mitzvah. The
ceremony invitation was mailed. The
party invitation was hand-delivered
on a stormy night. A professional
make-up artist transformed all the
Willises into the Munsters for the
party.
According to Barbara "the
make-up was so perfect that my
mother, Grunia Keats, dressed as the
Dracula-like grandfather in the
series, actually frightened the help in
the ladies room before the party."
The party had a spooky aura and
was held at "Willistead" Manor in
Windsor, an old mansion actually re-
sembling the Munsters' television
residence.
The decor sported gloved hands
holding balloons on the children's ta-
bles and wilted roses with cobwebs on
the adults'. A skeleton greeted guests
at the seating table.
The candlelighting was per-
formed by the family with a fake cake