Graduation!

It’s that time of year again!  The graduation season!  Middle school, high school, and college graduates are all breathing sighs of relief as they complete another step in their education.  The same cannot be said about the parents and guardians of those kids though!  Now is the delicate time when all the planning  those adults have done is put to the test.  Will there be enough food?  Seating?  Is everyone going to be entertained?  Although most graduation parties work out perfectly, others can leave people bored and even unhappy.  After years of helping a graduate through school, a successful graduation party is a thanks to the parents as much as the student, so going the extra mile to make it work is key.

That’s where A & S Playzone fits in!  As the consummate party rental company in Southern Ohio, we have plenty of ideas to make your graduation party a true celebration of your graduates achievements.  Whether your graduate played football, loves water, or is still a child at heart, A & S has numerous items that can make a graduation party rock!  Perhaps all that’s needed to complete your event is a little extra something on the food side.  If you need cotton candy, slushies, popcorn, sno-cones, or even a funnel cake fryer, A&S Playzone would be glad to assist!

The big issue for many people, is controlling the parties outdoors.  Sure, in these months leading up to summer, it may be nice to stay in the cool air conditioning in a house, but graduates have been inside a school for a year straight, they want to feel the freedom of being outdoors!  So the least you can do is give them some shade, a place to sit, and a place to eat.  Tents, tables, and chairs are all available from A&S, but they are quite a commodity at this point in the year.

So enjoy the graduation parties, and remember, when you start thinking about your own party;  Plan early, and keep in mind the professionals at A & S Playzone, who can help make your grad party a blast!

Summer Training!

The management of A&S Playzone invited its attendant staff into their newly opened training room for a night of reviewing safety policies and regulations.  The evening began with the owner of A&S Playzone, Tammy Chapman, describing specific features and requirements of the over fifty inflatables that A&S has to offer.  The items fall into many categories, such as bounce houses (or moonwalks), wet and dry slides, and obstacle courses.

Attendants Listening to Safety Training Instructions from Tammy

Tammy first elaborated on safety policies designed by A&S itself, which strictly adhere to and exceed the state requirements and recommendations.  Some of the rules involve common sense, such as no flips in moonwalks, and no shoes, glasses or jewelry.  Attendants were taught these rules, as well as how to handle roughhousing in the inflatables.  The instruction included finite warnings that only a seasoned safety expert would know, such as to ensure that older kids were warned not to jump or push others into the mesh walls surrounding all bounce houses, to remove the risk of an individual tearing through the mesh. Continuing along the theme of moonwalk safety, the attendants in training were shown a fully inflated 15 x 15 moonwalk.

Tammy Gives a Hands-On Demonstration of Attending a Moonwalk

As the trainees gathered around one of our more popular bounce houses, Tammy began demonstrating specific safety checks that the attendants would be required to perform.  Depending on what surface the inflatable needs to be anchored to, attendants learned that they would have to check sandbags or stakes for proper anchoring to the ground and to the item.  Ensuring proper anchoring means ensuring that the inflatable will be able to handle winds without leaving the ground and endangering those in the bounce house.  Attendants did learn how to detect if wind speeds were approaching an unsafe level, and were told to deflate the moonwalk if this happened, reducing the object’s surface area so it could not be blown away.  In addition to learning safety measures, A&S staff described how to comply with state regulations.  This involves having a sheet with each inflatable that states the Ohio Revised Code, and a fire extinguisher.  When providing an inflatable to events, A&S also provides instruction manuals for all inflatables, along with copies of their dimensions.  Among many other topics that were covered that night, potential attendants discovered the difference between inflatable moonwalks, obstacle courses, slides (both wet and dry), and many other unique party equipment.

Overall, the safety training night was a fantastic success, and A&S Playzone and its entire team look forward to a fun and safe summer!!