​Local regulations have changed significantly since Thanksgiving last year (with a bit of back-and-forth). We know many of you aren’t ready for a big indoor gathering this year. We’re big fans of finding a way to celebrate no matter what – so here are 10 non-traditional ways to observe Thanksgiving 2021.

​1. Share a meal with a neighbor. This isn’t a new tradition, but it’s especially suited to this year. Many of your older and/or immunocompromised neighbors have been spending lots of time alone for the past year and a half. And, let’s face it – most of us, whether we live alone or not, could use some extra kindness these days. What better way to cheer someone up than to bring over a warm Thanksgiving dinner plate?

​2. Share a meal with a stranger. The pandemic has also been especially isolating for those who are homeless. If you have qualms about giving out cash, why not share a warm meal instead? Prepare a few extra plates this year, and give them to others in need.  

3. Drive-by decorations. To share some holiday cheer with anyone who drives by, consider decorating your yard or home exterior for Thanksgiving. Purchase your own decorations for a DIY project, or hire a company like Card My Yard for decoration and cleanup services. You can even order decorations for a loved one’s yard! Card My Yard Wellington serves Fort Collins, Laporte, Windsor, Timnath, and Wellington; Card My Yard Greeley serves Greeley, Evans, Windsor, Severance, Johnstown, Milliken, Eaton, and Loveland.  

4. Video call with built-in games. New video-call apps are multifunctional. Developed with the pandemic in mind, apps like Bunch and WAVE allow you to video chat while playing real-time screen games with participants. Game options range from family-friendly classics like Uno and Scrabble to video games like Call of Duty.

5. Or...play a board game on video with friends and family. If figuring out a new app sounds more like a chore than good entertainment, use the video platform you’re most comfortable with and play with a real board and cards. Make sure the other participant has the same game available. Bingo is an easy video call game for all ages; simply take turns calling. You can even find Thanksgiving-themed Bingo games.

6. Simultaneous movie night. Cue up a Thanksgiving film or favorite holiday movie while on the phone with a friend (make sure to press play at the same time!) or use an app like Teleparty (previously Netflix Party) that synchronizes video playback for a group and adds a group chat (compatible with Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and HBO.  

7. Send thank-you notes. Thank-you notes aren’t just for Christmas and birthdays. Take some time to consider the people you are thankful to have in your life, and make Thanksgiving an opportunity to show them how much you appreciate them. Show gratitude for friends, family, coworkers, and your neighborhood trash pickup workers and postal workers. A handwritten note is always extra meaningful.

8. Recipe exchange. Switch things up a bit this year by adding someone else’s favorite recipe to your Thanksgiving meal. Before the holiday, swap a recipe with a friend or family member who won’t be at your house for Thanksgiving. Each participant cooks the other’s recipe – extra fun if you’re on a video call while you’re doing it. You may just find a new favorite recipe.

​9. Outdoor games. Colorado weather permitting, let the family burn some energy (or calories) with outdoor games. Outdoor air circulation means you can invite the neighbors over, too. Games like cornhole, Badminton, horseshoes, and charades are fun for adults and kids.  

​10. Surprise someone with their very own parade. Cooped up grandparents and at-risk family and friends will love watching from the front porch as you drive by in decorated cars or strut down the sidewalk (in full costume, of course). Share some Thanksgiving cheer with those who aren’t comfortable with or able to leave the house this year.  
Happy Thanksgiving from the My Big Day team!
 
Put our team in charge of your next private, corporate, or nonprofit event and have decades of combined marketing and event planning experience at your disposal. Contact us to get started.

August 7, 2014 --Loveland, Colo  

Ein Prosit, ein Prosit…….

Break out your lederhosen and dust off your polka shoes – it’s that time of year again! LOVELAND OKTOBERFEST!

This is one of NoCo’s largest FREE community events and it will be held at the Thunder Mountain Harley-Davidson complex on Saturday, September 20, 2014.  All the free fun will take place from 11:00 AM-5:00 PM.  The fun will continue throughout the evening when The Epilogues, Proverbial and Flobots take the stage at the Thunder Mountain Apitheater. (Ticket information posted below.)

As a proud sponsor, My Big Day Event Company is excited to announce that this year’s Oktoberfest is the largest one yet!  Due to the larger venue and participants, a greater portion of the proceeds will benefit the efforts of Colorado Youth Outdoors, a unique non-profit in Northern Colorado that aims to connect kids and parents through hands-on outdoor experiences.

Seven breweries will have signature brews available – five of them from local establishments:
Samuel Adams
Crow Hop Brewery
Grimm Brothers
Loveland Aleworks
Verboten
Big Beaver

There will also be a number of food venders and musicians providing tastes and entertainment with a local flare.  The Waido Experience, Dr. Doctor, and the Harvestmen are ready to rock your lederhosen off and will all be providing family fun entertainment throughout the afternoon.  The event’s schedule can be found at http://lovelandoktoberfest.org/schedule/
 
Ticket information for the evening concert:
-Tickets for the concert start at $15 for students, $18 for presale tickets and $20 at the gate. 
-Tickets include entry to all three performances. 

Presale tickets can be purchased at Thunder Mountain Harley-Davidson, all Loveland and Fort Collins King Soopers’ locations, the Loveland Visitor Center, Grimm Brothers Brewhouse and online at www.lovelandoktoberfest.org.

We hope to see you there, enjoying all the fun and festive activities and partaking in some tasty brews!  Don’t forget to plan ahead and remember how important that mornin’ after kloche is to cure your Oktoberfest hangover!

   “Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
   Der Gemütlichkeit.
   Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
   Der Gemütlichkeit.
   Oans, zwoa, drei, g’suffa”

---------------------------------------

My Big Day, a Loveland based event company, is honored to be a sponsor of this year’s Oktoberfest.
For more information about My Big Day, visit http://www.mybigdaycompany.com 
or call (970) 613-1455  or  303-886-3068.
Christine Kovacs Forster   mybigdayevents@outlook.com

For more information about the event, or to become a sponsor, contact:
Ingrid Bush  ingrid@lovelandoktoberfest.com
Website: http://lovelandoktoberfest.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oktoberfestloveland
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LovelandOfest

4/18/14   Easter Bunny for the 8th annual Easter Eggstravaganza! - WINDSOR
Come join the Easter Bunny for the 8th annual Easter Eggstravaganza! There will be open gym activities for you and your child to enjoy together along with a gigantic Easter Egg hunt all around the Community Recreation Center, so bring your Easter Basket to fill up! (Easter egg hunt will be held outside if weather permits)
Ages 3 - 5 years (or at parents discretion)   Date: April 18      Time: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM    
Location: Windsor Community Recreation Center  Address: 250 N. 11th St.  Windsor, CO 80550   
Contact: 970-674-3500     Cost: $3 - pre-registration (until April 17)  $5 - day-of registration

4/19/14  Jaycees Annual Easter Egg Hunt - FORT COLLINS
Easter egg hunts for children, Easter egg hunts for infant, Easter egg hunts for toddlers, The Easter bunny will make an appearance, Visits and photos with the Easter Rabbit, FREE admission, Bring a basket to collect the eggs!,
207 Peterson Street Library Park, Fort Collins, CO 80524. Phone: 612-978-3570. Email: laura.godsman@gmail.com. Event date and time: Saturday April 19, 2014 at 10:00am. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa/MasterCard, Discover. Volunteers are always appreciated! If you would like to volunteer please R.S.V.P to Laura at the email address above and be prepared to arrive at the park at 7:30 a.m. on the 19th. This Easter Egg Hunt is bound to be a huge success and bundles of fun! Hope to see you and your families there! Don't forget to bring your baskets and cameras to capture life long memories!. 0-12 years of age.

4/19/14  Longmont Easter Egg Hunt  - LONGMONT
Roosevelt Park: The event is FREE and the hunt is open to all children ages 8 and under. We will have a bounce house/slide, face painting, balloon artistry, a puppet show, and more! This year we have more eggs, more prizes, and more fun planned for all participants. Please join us from 10:00 AM until 11:30 AM for all events. The egg hunts have staggered starts by age group and will begin at 10:45. Please grab your Easter baskets and join us for a fun day in the park.Hosted by White Fields Community Church.

4/19/14  Easter Eggstravaganza Hunt, Carnival & Larimer County Food Drive  - FORT COLLINS
at 11 a.m. April 19 at Foothills Assembly of God, 305 W. Swallow Road, Midtown Fort Collins. Free food, refreshments, raffle prizes and games. Information: www.foothillsassembly.com.

4/19/14  Gulley Greenhouse & Garden Center - FORT COLLINS
6029 S. Shields St., Fort Collins, invites the public to its annual Easter Extravaganza from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 19. The bunny bonanza will feature a number of free holiday activities, bunnines for petting, and free face painting. The Terrarium Fairy Garden class will be offered at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m.  Information: www.facebook.com/GulleyGreenhouse.

4/19/14  Wellington Community Easter Egg Hunt- WELLINGTON
April 19th at 1:00pm located at Harvest Farm at 4240 East County Road 66 in Wellington. They will have Face Painting, Games, Prizes, Refreshments, and a Meet and Greet with the Easter Bunny. Ages 0-11 are welcome to participate, they will start with ages 0-3 and when they are done they will move to the next age group.

4/19/14  Redeemer Lutheran Church - FORT COLLINS
Easter Egg Hunt- April 19th at 10:30 and going through 12pm.
Redeemer Lutheran Church in Greeley Easter Egg Hunt - April 19th at 2pm and going through 3:30pm. They will have the Christian Entertainer Gene Cordova to provide ventriloquism, illusions, comedy and balloon animals before the easter egg hunt. The Easter Egg Hunt is available for 5th graders and under.

4/19/14  Jax Eggstravaganza!  - FORT COLLINS & LOVELAND
On April 19th the North College Jax Location will be hosting the Easter Egg Hunt starting at 10am for the 3 and under age group, 11am for the 4-6 year olds, and 12pm for the 7-12 year olds. If you go to the Ranch and Home Location in Loveland they will be doing pictures with the Easter Bunny from 11am-1pm.

4/19/14  Annual Grace Place/Community Colorado Easter Egg Hunt - BERTHOUD
(Come rain, snow, wind or shine): FREE  Saturday, April 19  11:00 am  Berthoud High School
Huge Easter Egg Hunt for kids zero - 5th grade - Hunt divided by age, including a toddler spot - Free hotdogs, changes to win great prizes, games, Inflatables, crafts, face painting, live band & more
Special Prizes for the first 500 families through the gates - Sponsored by Grace Place and local businesses  www.GracePlace.org

4/19/14  Easter Eggstravaganza  - MILLIKEN
Description: What will you find? A free Easter Egg Hunt; to include prizes and pictures with the Easter Bunny. This is a community event that takes place in the springtime, and allows children (up to 11 years of age) and parents to run the fields of Sappington Park to search for Easter eggs. Enjoy the adventure of finding as many eggs as you are able and visit with the Easter Bunny. The Egg hunt will begin promptly at 10:00 am. Location: Sappington Park in Milliken, Colorado

4/19/14 Fox Run and Fox Creek Easter Egg Hunts - LONGMONT
Be sure to bring baskets for your children!
Fox Creek Easter Egg Hunt
Saturday, April 19, 2014 - 10:00 a.m.
At the "Gulch" - the east end of Aspenwood Lane (east of Cedarwood)
Fox Run Easter Egg Hunt
Saturday, April 19, 2014 - 11:30 a.m.
At the Park on Fox Run Blvd.
4/19/14  WIlder-Nests Retreats Easter Egg Hunt - LOVELAND
The Wilder-Nests Retreats Easter egg hunt will be 11 a.m. Saturday at 9144 N. Glade Road, Loveland, weather permitting. This is for children age 10 and under. Call 481-2563 for details.

4/19/14  Community Easter Egg Hunt - LOVELAND
Waypoint Church will host a community Easter egg hunt from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at Lucile Erwin Middle School, 4700 Lucerne Ave. Families will be treated to bounce houses, snow cones, popcorn, prizes, and more than 6,000 eggs. Festivities will be broken up by age group: toddlers age 3 and under; preschool age 4-5; kindergarten to second grade; and third to fifth grade. For details, email Nate Tyler, Pastor of Family Ministries, at nate@waypointonline.org.

4/20/14  2014 Easter Brunch and Easter Egg Hunt - ESTES PARK
Join The Stanley for Easter with an Easter Brunch 11 AM - 4 PM for $52 per person, Ages 5-12 are $26 per child and childeren under 5 eat free. The Easter Egg hunt starts at 1 PM sharp for your little ones!
Call 970-577-4001 for reservations.

4/20/14  Easter Sunrise Service & Easter Egg Hunt - LOVELAND
New Freedom Outreach Center, 175 S. Madison Ave., is having an Easter sunrise service beginning at 6 a.m. Sunday, followed by baptisms. An Easter egg hunt for children will be at the park close to the church. An Easter morning breakfast will be served to everyone that comes. For details, call 669-1480.