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These Parties Rock
and roll and dribble and shoot and climb and speed and ...
Beth Robinson I Special to Celebrate!
elebrating a mitzvah or a milestone
can be done quite festively without
the discomforts of penguin suits
and panty hose. Although forecast-
ing the demise of dinner and dancing would
be premature, lots of folks are finding different
and fun ways to mark special occasions.
Sarah Fried's Facebook bat mitzvah album
features dozens of happy-looking friends rock-
climbing at Pontiac's Planet Rock (also in Ann
Arbor) and mugging for the camera. It also
features photos of proudly beaming zayde Paul
Fried.
Fried, of West Bloomfield and an avid rock
climber, waxed enthusiastic on the subject of
his granddaughter, kvelling about her expertise
as a climber. The two have climbed together
in Alberta and Squamish, and went back to
Alberta in February for ice climbing. Sarah
climbs twice a week at Planet Rock.
Sarah said she's not the dinner and dance-
party kind of person. Her mom, Elaine, sug-
gested Planet Rock. "She said that I love rock
climbing, so why not do it there."
All agreed that the party was a hit. "It was
awesome," said Sarah. "I thought it was fun and
my friends thought it was fun too."
"The bat mitzvah party is for the kids and
the kids enjoyed it enormously, at a reasonable
price," said Paul Fried. Party packages at Planet
Rock start at $39 per person with a discount
for larger parties. According to Manager Tom
Hill, 100 people can climb Planet Rock's
55-foot-high walls simultaneously. The venue
accommodates 200 and rental includes tables
and chairs.
Lori and Matthew Orel of West Bloomfield
welcomed son Aaron's bar mitzvah guests to
the high speed world of go-karts at Kart 2 Kart
in Sterling Heights.
Orel said friends had a great time. "A friend
of mine actually said, 'You know, Aaron, when
this is over and I go-kart at some other place,
I'm going to be really disappointed because
they won't go nearly as fast," said Orel.
Kart 2 Kart owner Tony Eckrich started doing
kids parties by special request in 2002. In
order for underage drivers to participate, he
and his crew mechanically reduce the 35 miles
per hour that adult drivers enjoy to 15 mph on
each of the 10 go-karts that zip around the
one acre course. Drivers must still hit 54" in
order to drive solo, but Eckrich has a couple of
two-seaters for shorter guests.
C3 6
celebrate! I
March 2011
Joe Dumars' Bayou Adventure Center
Andrew Miller enjoyed his party at the Livonia Community Recreation Center.
Rental, which starts at $3,600 for three-hours'
use of the track, billiards and foosball tables,
can include a 200-seat hall.
Whirly Ball, a perennial favorite, is doing a
brisk b'nai mitzvah business in their 4-year-
old Novi facility (Clinton Township is home
to Michigan's original Whirly Ball). General
Manager Carrie Grosser cites "the uniqueness
of Whirly Ball," saying "it's going to be the party
that kids remember. People have a good time."
Grosser also notes that it caters to all ages.
"Nobody's actually good at Whirly Ball," she
laughed. For the uninitiated, the sport is bas-
ketball played with wiffle balls and rackets
while driving dodge 'em cars.
An average party for 150, including staff,
servers, soft drinks, appetizers, snacks, food,
audio-visual equipment, including two "mon-
ster big screens," a 5,000-square-foot lounge,
video games and Whirly Ball court, runs about
$10,000.
Another multi-generational party spot
is Bonaventure Family Skating Center in
Farmington (also in Brighton, Canton and Holt,
which has laser tag). "Small kids to seniors
enjoy skating," said Denise Koziara, event coor-
dinator.
Exclusive rental of the facility starts at $6
per person, running significantly more for pre-
mium weekend slots. Rental includes the rink,
roller blades or skates, disc jockey, music, staff,
sound system and activities.
Bonaventure can hold 1,000, or 250 seated.
A portion of the rink can be partitioned for
dancing. Seating exists for 150 and Koziara
said renters can "bring in anything they want,"
in terms of food, tables, linens, decorations,
bar, etc.
An up-and-coming party venue, the Livonia
Community Recreation Center was, according
to Debbie Miller of West Bloomfield, "amazing,
amazing, amazing. The whole thing was beyond
anything I ever hoped for."
When Miller started planning son Andrew's
bar mitzvah, a friend said her daughter "liked
parties where there was something to do."
Miller and husband Eric "felt strongly that this
was a 13-year-old's birthday party."
The Livonia facility offers a large swimming
pool with a water slide, lazy river and whirlpool,
a climbing structure called the Tree Fort, rock
climbing, a gymnasium, and a game room with
foosball, air hockey, pool and ping pong tables.
The main atrium area can seat 200, but
Recreation Supervisor Jason Sturos said
that they have accommodated 500. All-night
rental for the 130,000-square-foot facility runs
$2,000-3,000. Miller said that it was worth the
effort of bringing in tables, linens, catering, etc.,
because "it's exactly what Andrew wanted. The
kids had a blast."
For soup-to-nuts party planning, says
Shannon Schrepferman, event coordinator at
Joe Dumars Fieldhouse in Shelby Township, "We
can be a one-stop shop. Other than decor, we
can pretty much take care of everything here."
The facility's Bayou Adventure Center features
a bungee trampoline, rock wall, high-ropes
course, remote-control slot cars, laser tag, bas-
ketball free-throw, putt putt golf and an arcade.
Schrepferman said that a basketball court
can become a banquet hall with tables and a
dance floor for dinner and dancing.
A kid that doesn't want dancing can opt for
survivor challenges, inflatables and drills and
skills instead. For warm-weather celebrations,
Joe Dumars has an outdoor volleyball court, tiki
bar, stone fireplace and flat-screen TVs.
"There are a lot of options," said
Schrepferman, who also notes that "we can
work with anybody's budget. A casual party for
These Parties Rock on page C38