Cal Ripken, Roberto Clemente, Manny Ramirez—ring a bell? Each of these baseball superstars began playing before he learned basic multiplication, or even addition. Max Astrachan is hoping to follow in their footsteps. By the age of four, Astrachan had a glove on his hand and his feet on the diamond turf. By the next year, he knew every name on the Red Sox starting lineup. Now, at the age of thirteen, Astrachan has traveled the East Coast as a pitcher and centerfielder. That is why his mom, Andrea, said that choosing a theme for his bar mitzvah was “a piece of cake.”
Originally from Boston, Astrachan grew up frequenting Fenway Park to cheer on his favorite team—the Red Sox. His party at the Colonial Country Club in Harrisburg replicated that game-time excitement. As guests entered, they picked up a ticket place card with the warning “ticket scalping is illegal.” Then at the will call window, they were given their tickets with the necessary seating information, including the cost: priceless. After signing an autograph book with their best pro athlete signatures, guests made their way to the party room. Or rather, they headed to Fenway Park.
Red Sox and Fenway Park flags hung above the doorway as guests walked onto a green turf sprawled across the floor, complete with white lines and bases. A U-shaped table lined in blue and red sat around the perimeter of the room. When guests entered, the first eye catcher was the large, hand-painted backdrop of a baseball stadium hanging from the back wall, reaching side to side. The kids had front-row seats to the stadium while the fans in the background cheered on.
Friends and family helped to truly knock the theme out of the park by designing vases of white carnations and red mini carnations that resembled baseballs for the kids' table. They dotted the table with wooden boxes of grass, peanuts, and Astrachan’s own baseball cards with a baseball perched on top. The adult tables kept the game going with centerpieces of large glass hurricanes filled with peanuts, baseballs, and a white pillar candle, all resting on a patch of faux grass.
Driving the Red Sox theme home, Jasmine Clouser of Couture Cakery designed a dessert table suited for Fenway. Bins of Cracker Jacks, B-B-Bats Taffy, and Babe Ruths decked out the table along with glasses of peanuts and blue and red candies. They sat amidst plates of cupcakes and cake pops while a two-tiered cake matching the Red Sox uniform stole home plate. The dessert table was a hit with the kids who enjoyed funny signs like “I’m all about that base” and were encouraged to fill cellophane bags with the goodies (of course, adults filled their bags, too). Guests visited the sundae bar to scoop ice cream into Red Sox mini-helmets before adding their own toppings.
Throughout the evening, both kids and adults enjoyed a photo booth and danced to the MC and DJs by Pulse Entertainment. All guests joined together for the Hora, a traditional Jewish celebratory dance where they took hands in a circle and danced around Astrachan as he was lifted in a chair. A video montage of Astrachan’s life in photographs played before the candle lighting ceremony when he spoke about his grandparents, other family and closest friends. They even helped Astrachan light a personalized candelabra, celebrating his life with thirteen candles and wishing him luck with a fourteenth. With this party, Astrachan might be one step closer to the Major League.
Vendors
Venue: Colonial Country Club, Harrisburg, www.clubsatcolonialridge.com Entertainment: Pulse Entertainment, Ivyland, www.pulseyourparty.com Cake and Dessert Table: Jasmine Clouser, The Couture Cakery, Lemoyne, www.couturecakery.net Photography: Serendipity Studios, Ivyland, www.serendipityphotoandvideo.com Stadium Backdrop: Grosh Backdrops and Drapery, www.grosh.com Sports Tickets: The Original Pear, Etsy, www.etsy.com/shop/theoriginalpear
By Kaila Young / Photography by Pulse Entertainment/Serendipity Studios
