Life of the party: Meet Longboat Key's party planners

There are a lot of reasons to throw a party on Longboat Key — holidays, the Super Bowl, general merriment.

Neighbors gather in a common place, often a condominium community’s clubhouse, and define the phrase “eat, drink and be merry” quite often during season.

There is always plenty of food, drink and entertainment to go around. But behind the scenes is a number of people who plan these parties.

They are the ones who order the food, buy the wine and beer and book the entertainment. The ones who decorate the clubhouse and choose the theme. The ones who volunteer their time to make sure their neighbors are included in the fun.

The Longboat Observer caught up with the “social planners” from three of Longboat Key’s condominium complexes to learn how and why they do it.

The Veteran

Mary Del Pup of Seaplace

Mary Del Pup knows you can’t please everyone.

“We don’t have too many complaints, but you can always say, ‘If you have a complaint, would you like to do it?’”

Del Pup credits her success to her committee of six and their husbands. After season, Del Pup and her committee meet to discuss ideas for the next year.

“With my ladies, you just have to hardly say anything, and they’re right there [saying], ‘I’ll do this or I’ll do that,’ ” she said.

Del Pup and her committee plan monthly parties for six months out of the year. She said a popular one is the pool party in March. But with outdoor parties, Del Pup has learned to “roll with the punches.”

Last year, the pool party had to be brought indoors because of cold weather.

“No one sat there and complained,” she said. “You can’t beat the weather, so that’s kind of how it is every year at the end of season.”

Organizing events is time-consuming and sometimes frustrating, Del Pup said, but it’s easier with a committee to split up the work. The committee knows the routine by now. With an entertainer booked, the group can focus more closely on decorations and food. When the event is catered, that’s another worry off their list.

“So that’s what we do,” she said. “You have to enjoy it. It’s a lot of work, but I think we put that aside thinking when it’s over what a nice party it turned out to be.”

The Semi-Pro

Budee Jacobs of Beachplace

Budee Jacobs has lived at Beachplace for almost 27 years and has always been involved in various committees.

For the past two years, she has been leading the charge on some of Beachplace’s social gatherings.

“For any condo to be successful, it takes a village,” she said.

Jacobs has learned that it just takes one person to volunteer and then others will follow, and she knows it isn’t a solo job. She likes to give credit where credit is due. Other residents take up the responsibility of planning golf outings or Super Bowl parties, but for occasions such as “Welcome Back” or “Farewell” parties, Jacobs is the go-to gal.

Jacobs has never been turned down when asking for help, which makes her duty less daunting, especially at times when she could be in over her head.

“Sometimes you take on a project and you say, ‘Oh my God, how am I going to do this?’ But I don’t say that because anyone I ask to help set up, break down, go shopping, help with ideas, they all say of course.”

If Jacobs has learned anything during her tenure, it’s that parties can be unpredictable.

“You can plan, but you never know if people are really going to like it, if the entertainer will be as good as you thought he or she was going to be, if the food is going to end up being as good as when you sampled it,” she said. “So that’s why the day of can be stressful.”

The Newbies

Graham Sampson and Gail Gilvey of Longboat Harbour

Last year, Graham Sampson helped the Men’s Club president at Longboat Harbour organize events. Throughout that year, the group’s number of events grew from three to eight. Now Sampson and Gail Gilvey are leading this year’s party brigade at Longboat Harbour. With 21 events scheduled, they feel prepared.

“It’s kind of like a semi-second job,” Sampson said. “Maybe I put in 10 hours a week just organizing things. Then you have to follow it up. A week before the event happens, we close registration so I know how many to buy food and wine and soda for.”

From a Halloween party and movie nights to a Super Bowl party and a sock hop, the duo is learning that the challenging thing in party planning is entertaining all ages.

“It’s a very funny thing here. It’s kind of pretty normal for everywhere [on Longboat], but about three quarters of [residents] are 70 plus,” Sampson said. “We’re both south of 70. We still have to recognize the entertainment of people that are 70 and 80. We try to mix it up to get everybody involved.”

Regardless, Gilvey and Sampson said there are always people willing to help, which means they’ll get to enjoy the parties, too.

“I firmly believe, and most people that live here firmly believe, that the entertainment factor here at Longboat Harbour is the hidden gem,” Gilvey said. “You’re not just buying a property in paradise. You’re trying to get to know your neighbors. This is a community where everyone is included. It’s really a very social environment as well as an opportunity to live in paradise.”