By Joel Magalnick, Editor, JTNews
This November,
parents planning B’nai Mitzvah for their kids or couples
planning their weddings will have a one-stop shop for making
their events come off much more easily.
The Simcha
Celebrations Showcase will take place on Nov. 7 at the
Pickering Barn in Issaquah. The showcase, to be the first
convention of this type, is targeted specifically for Jewish
events.
"It seems that
this is a niche that’s filling a void in the community,"
said Carin Freedel, founder of Mitzvah Mavens, the company
that is planning the showcase. "This is the first formal
event of this caliber in the Seattle area."
The event is
being held on the Eastside, specifically because most people
planning for such events head into Seattle and the Issaquah
resident wanted to have something available for people on
her side of Lake Washington.
Many different
kinds of vendors, from caterers to disc jockeys to
invitation designers, will show their wares and work to help
with the planning of major lifecycle events. Well over 1,000
people from both the Jewish and non-Jewish community are
expected to attend.
Freedel, who came
up with the idea while preparing to plan for her 11-year-old
daughter Tess’ Bat Mitzvah, figured that anybody else in the
area doing the same had probably come up against the same
challenges she had.
"When I started
looking for information, I found it was in bits and pieces,"
Freedel said. "I thought it would be a great opportunity for
vendors and the community." So the former school
administrator took it upon herself to put together this
large trade show of anything event-related that would be a
draw for the Jewish community.
"Vendors would
like to use this show to share their services with us,"
Freedel said.
One of those
sponsors will also be the focus of a major part of the
event: Krispy Kreme will bring in boxes of their gooey
treats with the intent of building the world’s largest
wedding cake – made entirely from doughnuts.
"The event has
already been approved by the Guinness Book of World
Records," Freedel said.
The cake will be
built by employees of the company’s Issaquah store from 10
a.m. to noon, and afterward attendees to the Simcha
Celebrations Showcase will be able to get their pictures
taken in front of the cake and then share in eating it.
"Everyone at the
show has the opportunity to eat a Guinness Book of World
Record," Freedel said.
Breaking the
record, however, won’t be so difficult. "Lucky for us,"
Freedel said, "there’s no existing record."
Another part of
the event will take a much more participatory angle, which
Freedel is very excited about. An art contest for kids age
17 and under is being held with the theme of drawing and
writing about their definition of a "Mitzvah Maven."
"We want people
to remember the mitzvah part of the Bar Mitzvah,"
Freedel said.
The winners of
the contest will be highlighted at the showcase and given a
special award: a chance to enter a glass cube with gift
certificates blowing around through it. Winners will be able
to grab the certificates for free services and fun
destinations around the Seattle area.
The last part of
the showcase event also depends upon community
participation, but of a different kind.
"We are doing a
fundraiser that doesn’t require any funds," she said. "Sort
of."
Instead of asking
for money, community members are being asked to donate
slightly used Judaica, such as mezuzot, dreidls, and
seder plates, in the coming weeks. These items will be sold
at the Simcha Celebrations Showcase, with 100 percent of the
proceeds to be given to Mercaz Harmony, a preschool in
Israel for children with special needs that also counsels
victims of terror.
"Due to the
fighting that has been going on, their funding has been
severely cut," said Freedel, who added that the Friends of
Mercaz Harmony has non-profit status in the United States,
so all donations are tax deductible. Items not sold at the
showcase will be donated to local-area organizations that
can use them.
Freedel said that
between now and November she is seeking synagogue members to
act as contacts to collect these items.
This part of the
event is actually being run by Freedel’s daughter Tess as
her Bat Mitzvah project.
"We believe as a
family that as children are approaching their Bar or Bat
Mitzvah, they need to step up to take a role in the
community," Freedel said.
With all of the
planning and family involvement that has gone into the
showcase, Freedel said she isn’t sure if Simcha Celebrations
will turn into an annual event, but she said the interest is
already there.
"I’ve already had
people ask me for a place in next year’s show," she said.