Ideas for End of Baseball Season Party

Celebrate your team's baseball season with an end-of-season party. Let young athletes unwind at a pizza or pool party; set up a baseball banquet for high school ballplayers; and relax with the neighborhood adult baseball team at a backyard barbecue or sports bar. For any age, include simple, tasty food, age-appropriate beverages, a celebratory cake and acknowledgements of the players' participation or contributions.

Your budget, the weather and the age of the participants drive the choice of venue for your end-of-season baseball party. Your child's T-ball team might enjoy a picnic and awards at the same park at which they played their games, especially if a playground is nearby. Older kids may want to go somewhere "cool," such as a pizza place or entertainment arcade, for their party. Wrap up the season with a friendly kids-versus-parents game, a particular favorite of younger ballplayers, or celebrate with a team outing to a local big-league game -- in most stadiums, you can have the team welcomed on the big screen.

For an outdoor party, hang streamers and balloons in the team's colors on the park pavilion or in the backyard where you hold the party. Baseball-themed hanging and table decorations add to the festivities. Put pictures of the team and players in inexpensive frames and place them on the tables. Paint red markings on some white round Japanese lanterns to resemble the stitching on baseballs and hang them up in the party venue. If the party is held indoors, make banners with the team name and colors to hang across the front entrance, along with a sign that says, "Home Team Dugout."

Celebrate the end of your team's baseball season with some old-fashioned ballpark food. For outdoor parties, grill hot dogs, hamburgers and bratwurst; serve them with condiments and chips. Offer a "make-your-own-ice-cream-sundae" buffet for dessert. Or set out frosting and sprinkles and let kids decorate their own sugar cookies or cupcakes with a baseball motif. As an alternative, make it a potluck party and ask each family to bring their favorite ballpark food item for others to share. At an adult party, serve an array of beers representing major league cities around the country.

For very young kids, the end-of-season party is often as big a deal as the season itself. School-age kids also look forward to this celebration, whether it's a pizza party, pool party or awards banquet. They might also enjoy getting to play a game "under the lights" at a nearby high school or college field, or a team outing to the batting cages or fun park. Send them home with sugar cookies decorated to look like baseballs and a small medal or trophy. Older players on school baseball or softball teams enjoy watching themselves in slide shows or videos of the season's games, along with getting a letter or certificate to acknowledge their participation. Give each a copy of a team photo to take home.