Fairy Tale Birthday Party
by Jennifer Cooper, posted on November 9th, 2011 in Arts & Crafts, Features, Parties & Celebrations
photos by Dave K Cooper
We were going through some old photos the other day and ran across these pictures from our daughter’s sixth birthday party. The theme that year was Fairy Tale, largely based on where we were having her party—at a farm that rescued pieces from the legendary Enchanted Forest. Legendary in these parts anyway.
Now, if you’re not familiar with the fairy tale/nursery rhyme themed Enchanted Forest, here’s a brief run down:
The Enchanted Forest was the first Theme Park on the East Coast, and the second oldest Theme Park in the USA, Disneyland being the oldest. It opened Monday, August 15, 1955. Admission was $1 for adults and 50¢ for children.
The Enchanted Forest is to Baltimore what Coney Island is to Brooklyn—iconic and kitsch all at the same time. If you’re a cult movie fan, you may recognize it from this scene in the movie Cry Baby. The park closed its doors in the early 90s leaving the buildings and attractions untended and in ruins.
However, throughout the mid noughties, the family that runs the farm where we had the birthday party partnered with locals to move pieces from the Enchanted Forest to their farm and restore them. Now a new generation gets a proper introduction to classic fairy tales and nursery rhymes—many of which are no longer taught in schools.
The farm took care of organizing birthday activities, which was a weight lifted off my shoulders. There was a tour, hay ride, pumpkin picking and running around. The only things I supplied were the food and take home gifts—little plastic knights, dragons, note pads, colored pencils (so kids could make their own fairy tale stories) and knight masks and crowns to wear at the party.
The tutorial for the knight mask is here if you want to take a look. They were surprisingly simple to make. All you need is watercolor paper, some paint, a marker, hole punch and some helpers. The birthday girl and her brother had fun helping me make them for their friends.
Jen Says:
Dana Goldstein Says:
Jennifer Cooper Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 1:23 pm
Dave and I made it together. I became obsessed with a picture of one I saw in a magazine > http://bit.ly/unZ40e Ours didn’t turn out anything like the picture.
I couldn’t find a white pumpkin so we spray painted ours. We’re total poseurs.
[Reply]
Jen Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 1:39 pm
Honestly, from what I can see, I like yours better for a fairy tale. The other one might be better for Halloween (it’s a little Tim Burton-ish, no?).
[Reply]
Jennifer Cooper Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 3:48 pm
Thanks Jen! Yeah, I think you’re right, the other one is a little Tim Buron-ish. And since we were already at a place that was John Waters-ish, it may have been too much.