Country and Western Band at Bay Area Hospital

Since employees and staff are your most valued asset, the nurses and support staff at Memorial Medical Center (Modesto) were treated to two days of barbeques and carnival games, planned by their different divisions. There were cake walks, country line-dancing, and bobbing for apples.

Our modern country and western and rock band provided that lively music for one afternoon, and our traditional bluegrass and country and western band provided the music, the evening before. Because of this annual "Nurse Appreciation Month," staff morale at this hospital is high, with nurse and staff turnover, low.

What a great idea, to value and cherish, your employees, support staff, and nurses.

Cool Ice-Breaker Ideas for Cocktail Receptions

Here are some cool ice-breaker ideas for cocktail receptions and passed hors d'oevres. Adding entertainment adds that memorable touch, and keeps parties "interesting and one of a kind."

Fortune tellers and caricaturists always draw lines, and make a good conversation "piece."

Here's "Bird the Tarot Card Reader," for the Building Industry Association's vendor show at the San Ramon Marriott Hotel. Marc's caricatures are very accurate, and are worthy for framing. For zany fun, there is a hilarious Marx Brothers team, based in Northern California, that provide improvisational and prop comedy.

Shopping center and mall entertainment in the East Bay and Tri-Valley

There are other ways to spend time at shopping centers and malls, in addition to buying that latest video game, two piece bathing suit, and a latte grande at Starbucks.

Bring the family to Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton or The Great Mall of the Bay Area in Milpitas, California for the Saturday "Kids Club." This member only club offers once monthly children's entertainment on Saturdays, in addition to coloring books and discount coupons. The two person musical duo "Cotton Candy" performed children's songs, games, and riddles, while a clown made customized balloon art. This entertainment was thoroughly enjoyed by the entire family.

The Rat Pack scores a Hit at the Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco

For a Rat Pack-Night at the Sands theme, our Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Frank Sinatra lookalikes mixed and mingled, and made fabulous photo-ops, during a 125-person cocktail reception at the Fairmont Hotel (San Francisco). The three impersonators worked as a team, singing and dancing, and moving through the crowd. Sammy Davis, Jr. served as the emcee, announcing dinner, in the main ballroom of the Venetian Room.

Rock and Roll music and dancers for 50's theme in Northern California

The 50's and 60's Rock and Roll era came alive for an open house event for Aegis Living of Fremont. The gals were dressed in poodle skirts with white blouses, and the guys were dressed in jeans and white shirts. The decorations consisted of mock 45 RPM records dangling from the ceilings, and refreshments consisted of rootbeer floats, jaw breakers, Wrigley's gum, and hamburgers and hot dogs.

Our one-man band played the keyboards and sang do-wop and solid gold rock and roll hits. Our headline dancers, AKA "San Francisco Jitterbugs" performed a high-energy 20-minute dance show, and later circulated in their audience, and got everyone up and dancing.

Rock and Roll Band at San Francisco Bay Area Shopping Center

Summer is a great way for shopping centers to host Saturday concerts, and for cities to host a music series. Music attracts shoppers to malls, where they remain to listen to the music, and to shop at stores. Stores that most benefit are restaurants, ice-cream shops, and candy stores.

For cities, a concert series is a great way to enhance community-pride.

Examples: The Rock and Roll band "Mersy Beach" is a great draw at Harbor Bay Landing (Alameda), for their summer concerts. The country and western band Silver Creek was a fan favorite at Larkspur Landing (Larkspur).

Picnic Entertainment at San Francisco Bay Area Shopping Center

Warmer weather means summer picnics, and a good reason for companies to have their barbeques, and for families to celebrate birthday parties under the summer sun.

Music adds to the festive nature at outdoor events, with Hawaiian, Caribbean, and Dixieland music, being the most requested styles. In addition, this music is acoustic, meaning that there doesn't need to be a power source.

For children, balloon artists, facepainters, and magicians are the entertainers of choice.