Another Jump Back Ball is in the books!  This past Saturday was the culmination of a lot of people’s hard work and months of planning. And after spending the last few weeks living and breathing nothing but Jump Back Ball, I needed to take some time to step back and recover before I posted my pictures.  Better late than never, though.  Enjoy!

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I love “before pictures” so here’s one of the State Theatre before we set everything up last Friday:

On Saturday night we were ready to party – as were 1000 other people. By the time we got to the Palace Theatre for the VIP hour, everything was in full swing:

The fact that AMP 150 catered VIP was honestly worth the price of my ticket alone. I was blown away by (and, as a co-chair, incredibly grateful for) how they went above-and-beyond with everything.

First off, they really got into the spirit of the event with some really whimsical centerpieces:

And as always, their food lived up to its expectations:

My favorites were the mushroom soup and the chai latte shots with vodka.  I had a couple of both, whereas Scott may have taken 4 or more shares of the pork belly.

I’m glad that I was able to find AMP 150′s Nathan White by the end of the evening to share my praise. He and Chef Jeff Jarrett rocked everything out.

As the dimming lights signaled the end of VIP, this is the scene we walked into in the State Theatre:

The backdrop and hanging toadstools were some of my favorite decorations of the evening, with the exception of maybe this:

Scott had helped make this smoking Caterpillar, so I’m glad our friend Sarah grabbed a photo of it because we completely forgot!

Before the first band went on, we entertained ourselves by marveling at the stilt artist:

and playing games like the Card Cannon:

After I switched into flats, I spent the majority of my evening dancing to Radioactive:

(I may have been dragged up on stage by my co-chair Meredith, but you’ll have to check out WhyCLE’s blog post to see my fleeting moment of rockstardom!)

After tiring myself out on the dance floor, we moved into the State Theatre lobby where I spent a lot of time at the Raffle tables while Tricky Dick and the Coverups played:

Although I didn’t have a chance to sample Sammy’s ‘Eat Me’ cake, I did snap a photo before it was devoured (I wish I had had a birthday cake like that when I was a kid):

Speaking of devouring, Scott may have drank his weight in free Labatt – just so he could collect enough beer koozies for life:

Of course, hanging out with friends and meeting new ones was the real highlight of the evening. A few of my favorites:

Despite the sinus infection from hell, this year’s Jump Back Ball was a lot of fun – made even better by opening up my email this week and reading we raised over $125,000 for PlayhouseSquare.

If you’d like to help out with next year’s Jump Back Ball, PlayhouseSquare Partners offers a great opportunity to get a hands-on and behind the scenes look.

Learn more about Partners here and save the date for next year’s Jump Back Ball: February 23, 2013!

Read more Jump Back Ball reviews:

• Being Mom2Amara
• Blog: The New Black
• Cleveland’s A Plum
• The Daily Balance
• CLEShopaholic
• Confessions of a CLE Habitant
• Why CLE?
• Life in the CLE
• the dawg’s dish

**Because half of my photos came out really fuzzy, a special thanks to Jen from WhyCLE for the last three group shots and my friend Sarah Casto for the photos of the caterpillar, Scott’s beer koozie madness and the only photo I can find of the two of us.** 

Join PlayhouseSquare Partners at the next Shop Night to get a behind the scenes look at decor and learn more about the organization.

Although Jump Back Ball has sold out, the work has just begun for PlayhouseSquare Partners.  One reason I love Jump Back Ball is that even before Scott and I get to party on February 25th, we’re having fun throughout February at Jump Back Ball Shop Nights.

Shop Nights are a unique opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look and play a part in PlayhouseSquare’s biggest fundraiser.

Throughout the month leading up to Shop Nights, volunteers are creating and building all of the decor that guests will enjoy at Jump Back Ball. From painting to glueing to hammering decorations together, there is a lot that needs to be done.

I'm not great at cutting or glueing, but I do love painting which is where you'll likely see me during JBB Shop Nights

And everyone is welcome to help out.  You don’t need to be a part of PlayhouseSquare Partners to show up and volunteer, nor do you need any artistic skills. There are plenty of projects to work on, so you won’t be lacking for something to do. 

Last Monday we started our first week of Shop Nights and things are already starting to come together. So far you can catch a glimpse at the early stages of the Caterpillar and its Hooka, the Red Queen’s Castle and the Tea Time Clocks, among other decorations.

After only 2 Shop Nights, construction on the Red Queen's Castle is underway

But there’s still a lot to do, which is where you can come in.  Over the next three weeks, there are 7 more opportunities to join us at Jump Back Ball Shop Nights:

• Monday, Feb. 6 (Tonight!)
• Wednesday, Feb. 8
• Monday, Feb. 13
• Thursday, Feb. 16
• Monday, Feb. 20
• Wednesday, Feb. 22
• Thursday, Feb. 23

All Shop Nights start at 6pm and go til around 9pm (you can come late or leave early if you want). We work out of the  Hanna Building Annex in downtown Cleveland, which you can enter through the main doors between Prospect and E14th St. You can also join us Friday, Feb. 24 starting at 10am for all-day set-up in the State Theatre.

If this is your first time attending a Jump Back Ball Shop Night and you have any questions, email Molly Franz at PlayhouseSquare at franzm@playhousesquare.org. When you show up, we’ll have dinner waiting for you and our Decor Committee Chairs will be sporting neon green shirts to point you in the right direction.

Volunteering at Shop Nights is just one way to help out PlayhouseSquare Jump Back Ball

Can’t make it to a Shop Night, but want to help out Jump Back Ball? We’re still accepting sponsorships from local businesses and donations for the Jump Back Ball Silent Auction.  

Check out the Sponsorship Guide here or email franzm@playhousesquare.org if you’re interested in donating a gift certificate or other service to help raise money through the Silent Auction.

This is part 3 in my Behind the Looking Glass series. Want to learn more about Jump Back Ball? Check out:

• Part 1: An Introduction to Jump Back Ball 21
• Part 2: Jump Back Ball Fashions
• A First Timer’s Guide to Jump Back Ball

And come back next week to learn more about the entertainment at this year’s Jump Back Ball.