Planning Essential For a Perfect Event

June 6, 2013

By Ann Wishart
Geauga County loves to party.
Witness the dozens of venues for any size or kind of event imaginable within Geauga’s borders.
From Huntsburg to Bainbridge and Chester to Middlefield, the region is rife with opportunities to have a good, big party or intimate gathering any time of year.
But, even with the many and varied settings, the best parties are the ones that are well planned so participants arrive on time, the food is hot and the drinks are cold.
No matter if it is a wedding, a shower, a birthday or a reunion, planning makes or breaks the event.
Not only do many of the venues in Geauga County provide everything from goblets to gas grills, they offer advice and ideas.
Depending on the complexity of the gathering, planning timelines can vary from a year to two weeks or less.
Wendy Wiegand, manager of Wie-gand’s Lake Park in Russell Township, has experience with helping to plan a wide array of events at the wooded, family-owned, 35-acre private park that can accommodate up to 1,200 guests.
“Some women plan their weddings from the time they are three years old,” Wiegand said. “Others are last minute. If I’ve got a date, we’ll make it work.”
To be on the safe side, she re-commends a wedding timeline start at least 12 months out, especially if a special date is desired.
“I suggest you contact me a year before,” she said. “But sometimes we can put it together two weeks before. I planned my own wedding in two hours and was married nine days later.”
The site offers all kinds of oppor-tunities for partiers to be active, such as a ball field, running trails, paddle boats on the lake and playgrounds.
Or, if a less, active, more relaxed time is preferred, there is a pavilion, a gazebo overlooking the lake and a large patio on the lake shore.
Corporate seminars, family reunions and community events can easily be accommodated at Wiegand’s Lake, given a little organizing time.
The landscaping is beautiful and the grounds are ADA-friendly, with Wiegand family members willing to transport anyone with mobility issues by golf cart, Wiegand said.
Less complicated events don’t require as much lead time and the manager is happy to help plan for those as well.
“We want everyone to be com-fortable here and feel well taken care of,” she said.
On a smaller scale, Bass Lake Taverne in Chardon caters to showers, small weddings, rehearsal dinners, birthdays, anniversaries, corporate functions and after-funeral gatherings.
Manager Michelle Niehaus said the Taverne has two assistant managers available to help plan events and they don’t have a timeline set in stone.
“Anything from a week to two years,” she said. “We’re pretty flexible. We’ll try to make it happen, if we have the date. We do a ton of weddings.”
Finding a space for a party is not a problem at Bass Lake.
Besides two party rooms with fireplaces upstairs, there is a patio, restaurant and bar downstairs. A room can be reserved for $100 and the price includes setup, linens and water goblets.
Behind the restaurant is the inn with 12 rooms where out-of-town guests can stay before and after the party.
“We’re unique in that we offer personalized service,” Niehaus said. “We’ll even drive people up to the Maple Festival if they don’t want to walk or park.”
Carri-an Varga, party center manager at St. Denis Golf Course and Party Center in Chardon Township, said the facility is so popular that the schedule fills up quickly, especially for weddings.
“Ideally, you should start looking a year out,” she said. “Weekends in the summer get tight. People end up taking dates that are available.”
One reason for its popularity is the wonderful views from the banquet room. Windows on two sides and the wrap-around porch give guests a panorama of the manicured golf course.
“It’s a million-dollar view,” said Maureen Griesmer, one of the Griesmer family members that owns and operates the facility.
An arbor is located across the road and is in demand for ceremonies in good weather and a good sound system and dance floor are available in the banquet room.
The less formal, but roomy basement opens onto the golf course and is used for large golf outings, Vargas said.
Grand View Golf Club in Middlefield focuses on helping plan parties and outings for folks who may not have the time or experience to create the desired atmosphere.
“We help them plan the event and spend a lot of time with them,” said Jerry Wayman, manager.
Also surrounded by the golf course, Grand View operates as a restaurant, reinventing itself over the last three years.
Wayman said the consortium of 10 local investors bought the facility and put it back to work after it had been closed for three years.
Wayman said Grand View is happy to schedule events, large and small.
“We’re constantly taking bookings. No party is too small,” he said. “Availability depends on the calendar. If we can fit you in, we’ll fit you in.”
However, a little more warning is usually a good thing for Grand View and the individual responsible for the planning.
“I’d suggest they call us three or four months in advance, at least,” Wayman said.
If a natural setting sounds especially appealing for your event, there are numerous picnic shelters and lodges in Geauga Park District, some of which are large enough to accommodate up to 150 individuals.
Some are in high demand, such as the Great Blue Heron Lodge in The Rookery in Munson Township. That lodge is often booked up to a year in advance.
Lodges are either fully or partly enclosed. Picnic shelters have tables, grills and restrooms nearby and the majority of them have electricity.
According to the district website, reservations for both shelters and lodges must be made seven days in advance.
A lodge fee of $30 for Bass Lake Preserve Lodge, Orchards Hill Park Lodge, Sunnybrook Preserve Lodge, Swine Creek Reservation Lodge and The Rookery Lodge is required when booking an event from October 15 through April 1 to cover utility costs.
Alcohol is permitted only in shelters and lodges.
If a lodge or shelter is not reserved, it can be used on a first come, first served basis.
Pineview Lake in Munson Township, owned by Bob Yui, specializes in small weddings, graduation parties, corporate events and family celebrations.
The park, which is more than 100 acres, is open May through October and rents for $500 with a $600 deposit. He won’t accept reservations more than one year in advance.
“Too many people were canceling,” he explained.
Yui recommends booking the park at least three months in advance, earlier if the organizer wants a Saturday or Sunday in June, July or August.
“After all, there are only 12 Saturdays and 12 Sundays in those months,” he said. “Plan ahead if you want a specific date.”
Pineview’s catering charges are $11.95 a person for picnics and $24.95 a person for weddings.
Red Maple Inn Bed and Breakfast in Burton has a fairly new facility, scenic vistas of the Burton maple trees and the added attraction that many members of its staff are Amish.
The Inn’s Burton Room is popular for group breakfast meetings and convenient because of its central location in the county, said Gina Holk, manager.
Because of space considerations, most of the events are on the small side. Holk said her favorite events are bridal and baby showers, but small weddings are common, as well.
“I like doing the planning with people and seeing ideas come together. It’s fun for me,” she said.
The patio, with its long view of wooded Geauga County, is a good location for overflow guests and for the setting up of the full-service bar.
Another plus is the 18 guest rooms where visitors can stay overnight and enjoy a full breakfast in the dining room the next morning, Holk said.
An elevator makes the second floor accessible for everyone.
If the back yard party you had planned seems to be attracting more guests than expected, Jeff Wiseman, general manager of Danny Boy’s Pizza in Chester Township, said he may be able to help.
Danny Boy’s, which has three dining rooms, a patio and a roomy tap room with a long bar, specializes in accom-modating short-notice parties. Two weeks is usually enough time to plan any event, Wiseman said.
“We can work with you on short notice. We’ll make it happen,” he said, emphasizing the cuisine is not limited to pizza.
Catering for outside events is a Danny Boy’s specialty. Wiseman said his staff has prepared food for up to 300 off site. They deliver, but don’t serve.
Mike Boehnlein, facilities manager for St. Mary’s Catholic Church banquet hall in Chardon, said the party center can be booked readily during weekdays and in the winter months.
But if the party is on a weekend or during the summer, she recommended planning farther ahead.
“Generally, we have more availability than other party centers,” she said.
Peak demand for the facility is April, May and June, which are filled with graduations, weddings, community events, memorial luncheons, corporate lunches and fundraisers.
If you need a facility on a weekend or during the summer, Boehnlein recommended starting the process one year ahead.
“That will give you time to call around and visit area party centers and put a tentative hold on the place you want,” she said. “Start early — the process can take some time.”
Fish fry dinners are very popular. St. Mary’s gets about 600 diners every Friday for the six weeks before Easter.
“Don’t try to book the banquet room on a Friday in Lent,” she warned.
Fees vary depending on the date, number of people and if the client is a church member.
St. Mary’s doesn’t charge piecemeal for each amenity. Their rates are set and if they have centerpieces or audio-visual equipment, the party can use them, Boehnlein said.
The Federated Church Family Life Center in Bainbridge, owned by the Federated Church of Chagrin Falls, was built in 2000 on 40 acres. It is used for everything from weddings to community picnics, said marketing director Wendy Pierce.
Booking one of its several rooms should be done about six months in advance, she said, adding fall weddings are becoming more popular, tightening up a schedule that has traditionally been more in demand May through August.
Rentals range from $300 for a small seminar group to $2,500 for the entire facility, with discounts available for nonprofit groups.
Adam Hall, renovated in 2005, shows that Auburn Township is also into the party atmosphere.
The large center on Washington Street is owned by the township and does not cater. However, there is a large kitchen and 60 feet of counter space so food preparation can be done on site.
Besides mood lighting from hand-blown fixtures, Adam Hall boasts a revolving mirrored disco ball.
(For more information on other party venues in Geauga County, find contacts at www.geaugamapleleaf.com.)