Party on: 4 new ways to celebrate summer

• Send invites and be sure to tell friends to arrive in bathing suits topped with comfortable attire they don't mind getting dirty and wet.
• Set up the garden for outdoor fun. Fill balloons with water and stack them in a giant bucket for a water balloon fight. Design a sack-race runway and place burlap sacks (or old pillow cases) at both ends. Create a face- and body-painting area. Procure a banquet table and seats for a pie-eating contest.
• Designate a picnic area. Spread one or a number of blankets in a shaded spot and include floor cushions and cluster your outdoor furniture to create a big family picnic vibe.
• Go with a menu of childhood favorites. Think burgers, hot dogs, ramekins of macaroni cheese, a big cooler of soda and beer, a jug of spiked lemonade and a finale of ice cream sundaes. And don't forget the pies for the pie-eating contest.
• Near the end of the party, hold an awards ceremony and give game winners prizes such as classic board games or sweets.

Al fresco game night
Need an excuse to linger outdoors late into the evening? Gather the gang for a night of bingo or poker and everyone will be feeling lucky.

• Send invites that hint at the fun to come - perhaps on a bingo sheet or an IOU. If money's involved, let guests know what denominations to bring. (And prepare a bank in case you need to break notes.)
• Stock up on game essentials, such as cards and poker chips or a bingo game and corresponding sheets. They're available at most toy stores.
• Get guests in the mood. When they arrive offer classic Manhattan cocktails along with scattered bowls of bar mix.
• Play up the theme with old gentlemen's club decor. Cover the table (or tables) with green felt and surround them with chairs. Light the area with lanterns or an overhead dangling lamp.
• Create a snack area: Serve easy finger foods, such as chicken nuggets with multiple dips, trays of olives and celery and carrot sticks, mini bread sticks with ramekins of dip, or toasted cheese sandwiches. Fill and display a cigar box with sugar cigars, real cigars, mints and sweets.
• Play classics like Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Sammy Davis, Jr., and hope that luck be your lady all through the night.