VQ1Itest- • • • at our Own Tarty [parties with Class • COMPLETE CATERING • SPECTACULAR FRUIT DISPLAYS • BARTENDERS AND WAIT STAFF Jonah Zacks and Noa Pergament party in the JCC's Child Development Center. • PERSONALIZED SERVICE • INDIVIDUAL MENU CREATION arrange for a bit of sand art. "We are open to making your party indi- vidualized," she says. Book 'Ern Then there's the really, really big show. Okay, maybe not a circus, but the Center does host plenty of weddings. A big event, like a wedding or bar/bat mitzvah celebration, is handled by the booking coordinators: Tammy Tisher at the West Bloomfield JCC and Amy Fertell at the Oak Park JCC. Both women have quite a sense of humor. And if you would really like to see them laugh, try calling and asking for a room for your huge event tomorrow. "We try to be accomnnodating,"Tisher says, "but I've already got bar mitzvahs booked for 2009, and I've had a few calls for 2011." In general, it's smart to request the room for a big get-together about 18 months in advance, and certainly never fewer than six months ahead of time. In West Bloomfield, weddings, bar/bat mitzvah celebrations and other events likely to bring in a large crowd are held in the Marion and David Handleman Hall, which can accommodate about 350, including a dance floor (that means a swell opportunity to get out there and boogie with your new mother-in-law to the hip sound of the Bee Gees.) Even with that size crowd, you can enjoy your food in Handleman Hall with the JCC's house caterer, Matt Prentice, who can prepare both fleishig (meat) and milchig (dairy) kosher meals. The rest — decora- tions, entertainment, photography, flowers — is left to whomever is hosting the event. Those unfamiliar with what the JCC in Oak Park has to offer can stop in for a tour. "Come anytime," Amy Fertell says. "I'll take you around:' The recently renovated social hall can accommodate about 180 without a dance floor, including enough round tables so that everyone can eat. Food brought to the JCC must be kosher, so Fertell provides prospective customers with a list of caterers/food establishments approved by the Council of Orthodox Rabbis. But this does not have to mean spending a fortune. Dunkin' Donuts in Oak Park is kosher for a fun breakfast meeting, and the173 Express restaurant, located in the JCC building, can cater subs and other light fare. While a Jewish Center is an obvious choice for a Jewish wedding or bar mitzvah, plenty of other events have been held recently in Prentis Hall, Fertell says, from Chanukah parties to a family reunion, from a meeting of the Oak Park Public Safety Department to a United Way program. Elizabeth Applebaum is a marketing specialist for the Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit. For information on booking a sports, hockey or pool party, call the JCC at (248) 667-7000 and ask to speak with that department's staff. 2vecidizi,468 I:44, IA am& Catgut, art lee 248.569.7576 www.partieswithclass.com 1222970 CREATE YOUR OWN TASTE! 24 FREE Purger & Chickemloppings! 21 FREE Salad To n s! 107 Shake Flavors! Kids Meals come in or create your own combination! a Classic Cruiser! Voted "Best Burger" in 28 Cities! • Shakes made with Edy's Grand Ice Cream. • NOT fast food. Fresh cooked for you. • Fresh, never frozen, premium Black Angus beef. • Grilled chicken, portobello mushroom, and other sandwiches. • Fresh-cut fries & rings made just for you. Cheeburger OhQeburgQr® Locally owned & operated with pride. cheeburger.com Livonia 17398 Haggerty Road • 734-779-1000 In the College Park Shopping Center Also in Birmingham • 755 E. Maple Street • 248 203 4171 - - celebrate! 2007 59