The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now allows people to resume normal activities without a mask and with no need for physical distancing two weeks after getting a full dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. This means fully vaccinated people can now host other fully vaccinated people for some summer poolside partying in the backyard.
Preparing the Venue
Pool owners who have been hosting swimming parties in the past must have been lonesome during the pandemic. Now they can get back to what they have been enjoying before, and just in time for summer.
Before hosting a party, though, the entire house needs a thorough cleaning. With guests coming, this means the type of cleaning that only a professional cleaning service can do. It is time to make all those hard-to-reach places worthy of scrutiny.
The pool itself also needs cleaning by a professional cleaning and maintenance service. Any pool owner must be doing this regularly. Professionals make sure the floor and walls of the pool, as well as the skimmers and deck area, are squeaky clean. They ensure that the chemicals in the water are perfectly balanced. They also check for any damage, such as cracks, or the need for repair or parts replacement in the pool pump. With professional help, owners can enjoy the pool without the hassle.
If there are a lawn, garden, and trees around or beside the pool, these must have been under regular care from a professional lawn maintenance service or gardening service. They can ensure that everything is growing well and looking gorgeous. There are no brown or bald patches of grass, no weeds, and no drooping plants. Dry branches are well-pruned. Of course, this cannot happen overnight, hence, the need for regular servicing.
The outdoors cannot be fun if it is teeming with mosquitoes, flies, and other pests. The American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA) states that mosquitoes alone can transmit dengue, dog heartworm, malaria, zika virus, chikungunya, yellow fever, St. Louis encephalitis, LaCrosse encephalitis, eastern equine encephalitis, western equine encephalitis, and the West Nile Virus.
For an owner to enjoy using the pool, and to host a pool party, it is also necessary to hire an extermination service for mosquitoes and other pests. While torches and citronella candles are good for creating a romantic tropical ambiance, they cannot eradicate pests the way that professionals do.
For Instagram-worthy photos of guests, the host can rent colorful summer-themed pool floats. Designs like slices of fruit, sweets, or popsicles will be popular.
The host must also make sure there are enough lounges around the pool for those who do not plan to stay in the pool all the time. These, too, are available for rent.
Preparing the Menu
A summer menu must be light, especially for a swimming party. People also often love to graze. Barbecued or oven-roasted beef, chicken, sausages, and shrimps on skewers alternating with roasted mushrooms and vegetables like onions, bell pepper slices, and tomatoes make great party food. Grilled cheese sandwiches can provide bulk for those who need a heartier meal.
A salad of finely chopped carrots, cucumber, bell pepper, lettuce, and sunflower seeds can have a dressing of lemony garlicky guacamole, all wrapped into miniature burritos, making salad into finger food. The host must prepare a lot of these because guests will not stop with one.
Various chilled fruits can also be in skewers, such as cubes of watermelon, melon, honeydew, pineapple, and strawberries. Nuts and pretzels can be in bowls for munching.
A host who does not particularly enjoy food preparation can hire a caterer instead and specify these food choices. For drinks, cocktails with fruit juices as the base are refreshing for summer. Unless the host hires a professional bartender, a cocktail bar can be set up so that guests can mix their drinks.
Fun and Games
A host must be ready for games that will bring up the party’s energy level whenever things are quieting down. For instance, guests can string a net across the pool for pool volleyball. This becomes even more fun if players must come in pairs, with one atop the other’s shoulders.
Not all games need to be in the pool. The host can also bring out cards and board games for playing at the poolside. The loser, however, gets to jump into the pool, only of course if he or she can swim.
If all guests are fully vaccinated, summer can now be a season of fun parties even in backyards. Diving into a pool with family and friends is the perfect way to beat the scorching summer heat.
