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If you are a live music fan or an aficionado of performance art at all you probably save the concert tickets that gave you entrance to the most memorable experiences. So for you the best concert ticket to a concert or festival would be what? Your first ever festival or rock concert? The Rolling Stones last ever concert before their next last ever concert? My personal all time best concert ticket would be the one I had for a Paul Simon concert during his ‘rhythm of the saints’ tour in 1991 because of the great music and the precious memories that go with it.

But what if I asked you to choose your top concert ticket of all in the history of modern concert tickets. What would you say? I would choose, without hesitation a ticket to that iconic music festival of 1969, Woodstock. But wasn’t it a free concert I hear you ask? How can no ticket be a concert ticket? You are right. It ended up as free ‘festival for peace’ but started out as a paying one and there were 2 types of concert ticket printed. A pure text one and a deluxe picture one.

The 1969 Woodstock concert Ticket! This Woodstock concert ticket was originally meant to be sold for the Festival, but once Woodstock was declared a “Free” concert, all sales stopped.  Many of the single advance sale concert tickets ($7.00 face value) were either taken home as souvenirs or thrown away.  And, most of the sold on site tickets ($8.00 Face Value) were destroyed by the rains or simply discarded as useless because no concert tickets were required. They were also available as 3-day concert tickets covering the whole event. These 3-Day tickets are very rare and with such a concert ticket, you can feel the history.

The best concert ticket of all time would cost you about $350 on the memorabilia market. Concert ticket collectors drool over this item. Are you a baby boomer with one of these babies sitting in your memory box or scrapbook? The Original unused $8.00 ticket set for all three days – Friday, Saturday and Sunday, August 15, 16 & 17th 1969. The full unused concert ticket intact measures about 10″ x 12″. What a line up it describes:

Three-Days of Peace & Music! Friday - Performers were Richie Havens, Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Melanie, Tim Harden, Ravi Shankar, John Sebastian, country Joe mcDonald, Sweetwater, The Incredible String Band and Bert Sommer.

Saturday - Performers were Santana, Canned Heat, Mountain, Janis Joplin, Sly & The Family Stone, The Grateful Dead, Creedance Clearwater Revival, the Who, Quill and Keef Hartley.

Sunday - Performers were Jefferson, Joe Cocker, Country Joe and the Fish, Ten Years After, The Band, Johnny Winter, Blood, Sweat & Tears and Cosby Stills Nash and Young. (Performing after midnight or on Monday morning were the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Sha-Na-Na and Jimi Hendrix).

Wow! Can you think of an even better concert ticket than the ticket that never was to this incredible concert?

Copyright (c) 2007 Pat Brill

Do you think you have to spend a lot of money in order for your party to be successful? You can stay within a budget and still create a wonderful time for yourself and everyone at your party. Here are some helpful ideas for a successful and budget oriented party.

I found that my most successful parties were planned and not necessarily expensive. Most parties need thought and attention to the details to create a fun experience for everyone that is coming. What do you need to plan?

What’s the Occasion?

If there is a special occasion that you are celebrating, then you already have the theme of your party. If you just want to bring friends and family together, then create a theme for your party. Be creative or loving…a “just because I think you are all so special” theme. Whatever your theme, include it throughout all of your planning.

What’s the Budget?

Create a budget and stick to it. Be specific about the amount you can spend on food, decoration and drinks.

-If you want to minimize the food costs, have a gathering at a time of the day when people have already eaten, such as mid afternoon and you will only need to provide snacks. How about an appetizer or dessert party? These ideas keep your food requirements to a minimum.

-Plan on making most of the food yourself to keep the costs down. You can also elicit the help of people coming to the party by asking each person to contribute a dish. Potluck gatherings are festive and fun.

-Send your invitations via email. There is a great website, http://www.evite.com, where you can create an online invite and email everyone on your list. This service is “free”…a great word.

-Include the costs of the paper products, decorations, and drinks. Don’t spend lots of money on decorating…candles, music and balloons add a festive flavor to your home without breaking the bank.

What Has to Be Done?

Create Your “To Do” List

What does your “to do” list look like? Include everything you have to do as soon as you decide to have a party. The list includes sending out the invitations, menu planning, shopping, cooking, cleaning, setting up and cleaning up, and possibly planning fun activities.

Create Your Party Day TimeLine

Create a timeline of what needs to be done on the day of your party…from setup to clean up after the party, and everything in the middle. Did you ever forget to do something you planned or leave a favorite dish in the refrigerator? I know that I have!

The timeline of your party day includes everything you have to do: decorate, candles, pick up balloons, set table, and every item that has to be cooked and when. Be specific with your time…when are you going to do it and how long will it take. I know this sounds like a lot of effort, but the effort you put in planning will make sure you don’t forget something, know when you need helping hands, and decrease the stress around organizing the success of your party.

Helpful Hands

Ask your family or friends to help. Is someone great at cooking desserts or maybe a friend has a wonderful music collection that would be perfect for your party? Think in terms of your resources. Most people are happy to participate in the celebration if asked. What do you need extra hands for? Go through your “To Do” party list and add your resources against some of the activities on that list.

What is Most Important?

To have fun! With some new ideas and careful planning and organization, you can stay within your budget yet create a space for everyone to enjoy themselves and others. Good party memories are in the details.

Summer is here – outdoor venues’ event calendars are looking plump! Everyone is gearing up for concert picnics, outdoor plays, and summer concerts – even restaurants and eateries are offering gourmet picnic baskets to take to these events. Get your hats, umbrellas, beach chairs, and picnic blankets ready!

One particular event that I look forward to this summer is the California Philharmonic’s Festival on the Green. It’s held at the Los Angeles Arboretum every summer in succeeding weekends. Each performance features a theme (Classics, Dance, and Movie themes to name a few). This event started in 1997 – a vision of Maestro Vener. The event came a reality with the help community leaders and the Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Department. This year is definitely special as Festival on the Green is celebrating its 10th year.

There are many events happening in other parts of the country – if you are a big literary fan, the Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, OR is the event for you. Founded in 1935, this Tony Award Winning event is among the oldest theatre events in the country. Started by a teacher from South Oregon Normal School, Angus L. Bowmer, the festival was officially launched on July 2, 1935. Bowmer’s idea is to create a festival in conjunction with the city’s Fourth of July celebration. In 2001, the 10 millionth ticket holder was welcome. This festival is definitely one to check out!

An event that has been gaining worldwide notoriety is the Burning Man Project. Founded by Larry Harvey and Jerry James in 1986, it started as an annual fire party at Baker Beach in San Francisco. This event began with a humble group of friends and now grew to a community of 25,000 people. There are different descriptions of this event… Some say it’s Art festival, some would describe it as music festival, and others a social experiment. It is probably a combination of all these – it seems the Burning Man Project is what you want it to be or how you experience it to be. The only way to find out is to go there yourself!

Whatever you are interest in; there is a summer event for you. There’s music, arts, theatre, culinary, and many more. Definitely plan ahead and get your tickets early, as most of the very popular events sell out months in advanced. Be sure to check out the events websites to see any restrictions (such as age, alcohol, transportation, etc.), if any.

To see a calendar of events happening this summer – music, concerts, festivals, theatre, culinary – visit The WhereWhen Project: http://www.thewherewhenproject.com. Calendar access is free with no registration required… And if you have an event to promote, posting events are free as well.