I was flattered when Jenn asked me to share the Rustic Popcorn Bar I created for a Family Reunion party over the summer.  If you are looking for something super simple to throw together for your next event…look no further.  Order yourself some popcorn seasonings from Kernel Season’s and pre-order fresh, already-popped bags of popcorn from your local grocery store.  A-MAIZE-ingly easy!!

Spruce up some salt shakers with some cute labels and offer a few candies and nuts to sprinkle in the popcorn; You’ve got an instant interactive popcorn bar with very little prep work.  Although this particular popcorn bar has a rustic vibe, the concept works for any season.

You’d butter keep reading for all of the details. You just might be inspired to be the POPular mom in the neighborhood and host a movie night for the kids. Or better yet, how about hosting a “girls-night-in” movie night with your girlfriends.

PARTY DETAILS, as told by Jessica of Pen N’ Paperflowers Studio & Design…

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Inspiration:

“When I found myself assigned to the arduous task of putting together a family slideshow to watch for the ‘Family Movie Night’ portion of our Family Reunion this past summer…little did I realize it would literally become a movie. (a 1 hour and 20 minute movie to be exact). I kept the length of the movie quietly to myself and decided I’d better have some fantastic snacks to offer the unsuspecting crowd.

The family movie was going to be shown at a family member’s home on 5 acres of beautiful property that included horses. Their gorgeous pool was the backdrop for the slideshow. With a country setting already provided, a rustic-style Popcorn Bar was in order. I wanted it to be kid-friendly and fun and I needed it to be easy as far as food preparation for 50+ people. It was the easiest ‘dessert table’ I’ve put together to-date and it was an absolute hit.

Food, Decor & Details:

My intentions were to create an interactive popcorn bar that would allow everyone to personalize their simple brown bags of popcorn. By selecting a seasoning (or two) as well as offering a few candies and peanuts to throw in the mix, this option allowed everyone to get creative and ultimately cater to a large array of popcorn palettes.

As a fun, special element for the children, I offered caramel popcorn balls I ordered from Kernel Encore and served them up on The Pastry Pedestal™.

I pre-ordered 10 bags of fresh, already popped popcorn from my local grocery store. I then ordered an array of popcorn seasonings, (Kettle Corn, Apple Cinnamon, Nacho Cheddar, White Cheddar, Ranch, Chili Lime, and Caramel) and a butter spritzer from Kernel Season’s website.

I created a catchy sign with easy one-word directions so everyone would know exactly what the process entailed to create their personalized bag of popcorn: Snatch, Scoop, Spritz, Sprinkle, Shake and Savor. (and you could add Share…if you like). *wink*

Game/Activity

I also added another interactive element to the popcorn bar by creating a fun, simple game called ‘Mystery Popcorn Flavors’.  I ordered 5 different ‘Sampler Bags’ of unusual flavored popcorn from Kernel Encore. (Salt & Vinegar, BBQ, Watermelon, Peanut Butter and Taco).  With each of the flavors in a separate numbered basket, I challenged everyone to sample them and offered a prize to the person to guess all five flavors correctly.

Summary:

The food preparation couldn’t have been more simple and I believe everyone had fun serving up their own snacks in preparation for the movie. A popcorn bar is such a versatile idea allowing for so many different creative avenues to choose from.  It’s also one of the easiest dessert tables I’ve put together to-date.”