When we last left our camp friends at their over-the-top celebration, they were seated at wooden picnic tables under the stars.   All seemed relatively normal as the kids enjoyed their GIANT ice cream sandwiches, not realizing MORE was just around the corner.  Suddenly, mysterious men dressed in head-to-toe white snowsuits slowly danced into the room to the sounds of icy wind and technopop music.  [Think Blue Man in snow suits].  As these Snowmen moved about the room like mimes they offered fleece scarves, mittens and hats to all the kids.   As we pulled back the drape, the Snowmen led the kids into a secret ice room filled with desserts and more.

A white-draped, ice-filled Winter Wonderland awaited with desserts and hot chocolate.   Working with fabulous caterer Leslie Rosen, we styled six distinctly different dessert stations with childhood favorite sweets including ice cream and water ice.  For instance, ice curtains suspended behind an illuminated ice table supported rock candy in every possible flavor imaginable.

Not into Rock Candy?  No problem.  How about Cotton Candy?  Tall ice stalactites became holders for cotton candy cones in icy blue and cool pink flavors!  The guest of honor’s logo from the camp theme was altered and used on every station in the ice lounge we could display it on.

An ice table uplit in blue became the base for a decadent caramel apple station in flavors like Rocky Road, Toaster Streudel and Peanut Butter Blast to name a few.

The catering staff, who were previously attired in custom-designed camp-themed polo shirts, donned white coats and fur hats!  For those who had to carry ice block trays with frozen hot chocolate and popsicles, we provided fur-lined gloves and mittens.  Needless to say, the kids AND the waitstaff loved these elements in the very cold room.  Brrrrr!

Wanna “frost” a cupcake?  Why not head to the Frosty Cupcake station where kids could decorate their own with a variety of toppings such as jimmies, jelly beans, Swedish fish, licorice ropes and more.  Or, they could skip the cake and hit the candy.

Thinking it was all about dessert, the kids were thrown for a loop when curtains parted to reveal an awesome stack of ice blocks and the return of our mysterious Snowmen.  This time, they carried chainsaws and attacked the blocks of ice to choreographed music and incredible lighting effects!  The kids were captivated by the show but OBVIOUSLY kept well away from any danger.

As you can see by their faces, they loved it!  And WE loved seeing them enjoying themselves decked out in the hats and scarves!  But the big question was WHAT WERE THEY CARVING?????

What else, A SNOWMOBILE!  After the carving was complete, it was time for photos on the ice snowmobile!  Four kids at a time were able to hop on board and smile for the camera.

Alas, our fantasy camp was coming to an end.  The kids left with recycled bags of goodies, sure, but what’s important is knowing they left having experienced a truly remarkable celebration that they NEVER expected!  We know they thought they were walking into a lovely kids party at a nice country club.  But they had NO IDEA they were entering a wonderful, magical world!  This is why we do what we do, it doesn’t get any better than seeing DELIGHT plastered on a child’s face.

Photos courtesy of Phil Kramer.