Vince's Annual Tacky Party

Every year my friend Vince throws a party that's a must-attend event. I'm not sure where the original idea for the party came from but every year it continues to get better. The theme of the party is that everything about it needs to be tacky. People wear some pretty crazy outfits and this year was not a disappointment:

In case English is your second language and your English teacher never told you, tacky is an adjective that means "in bad taste". The goal of the party then is the celebration of all that is in bad taste. I love it!

I know, the idea of a party where everything is tacky is kinda' strange but it works. Think about how hard it is to come up with ideas for clothing and pot-luck items that are tacky without using the old stand-bys of arriving late or drunk, not bringing anything, or bringing a bunch of uninvited guests (all of which have been done already). I can't believe how the competition gets more intense every year.

Oh yeah, I said "tacky food":

I really appreciate the creativity of the food items that people bring. I know that some folks that show up have been planning for a whole year and can't wait to spring their creation on the world. In the photo above, there's half-baked cake, a fish loaf made from meat, German-chocolate Ding-Dong cake, and a bunch of others. Probably my favorite this year was the Jellied Tuna Salad Loaf that was green:

Keep in mind that all the food items are edible and meant to be (sometimes) quite good. I enjoyed the build-them-yourself BLTs that someone brought this time. Yummy bacon! I give my own award this year for creative naming to this pile of Twinkies and cupcakes. Meet Foamhenge:

No summertime party would be complete without a barbecue. Vince has a monster-sized BBQ wagon that his uncle made for him a bunch of years ago. Dave, the guy on the left with the hat, cleaned out the freezer in his garage and brought all his older-than-two-years meat to barbecue for everyone. I, unfortunately, didn't partake in the lovely repast he created but it didn't look half-bad. Oh, and that's Vince, the creative genius behind the party, with his arms up:

Vince does a lot of work each year planning for the party. He not only sends out invites, makes sure that everyone is coming, and arranges for a live band to play, but he also puts together a whole pile of parting gifts for his guests. For what must be months, Vince collects all kinds of stuff. This year I left with a lovely coffee mug and a photo. Not just any photo though! Vince creates an annual self portrait that's a work of art. What could be more tacky than giving someone a photo of yourself, right? Anyway, I have a whole collection of Vince self portraits that I know will be financially lucrative one day very soon. For now, I can treasure this year's piece de resistance:

It's been a few years since I was able to attend the Tacky Party but I was here in California and couldn't miss it for sure. I'm glad I had a chance to go and can't wait for the next one. I'm even thinking of licensing the idea and translating it into Spanish for when I get back to Barcelona. I'm already thinking about my self portrait even though I can never challenge the master.

Thanks for the great time Vince! See you next year.