Friday, April 14, 2006 | 7:18 a.m.
Plans for the big Gorman Family Reunion in June are coming along really well, thank you.
We've decided to see "Ka," the Cirque du Soleil show at MGM Grand. On Friday night of the big weekend we'll have Memphis Championship Barbecue deliver chicken and tri-tip and all the fixins over to our house.
And since we'll be dressed up Saturday for "Ka," we've arranged for a private room at Lawry's The Prime Rib. We'll be able to mingle, drink and eat without annoying anyone else - which is always a risk when Gormans gather.
(I wonder if Mrs. Smith at Lawry's can spin a salad for 32?)
The real star of the weekend will be Mom, who turns 90 this year. We haven't told Mom about the reunion because she'll just fret until the day arrives.
I want this to be really special, so this week I strolled the aisles at the Las Vegas International Hotel & Restaurant Show at the Mandalay Bay convention center for brainstorming.
This was a trade show for people who supply the food and hotel industries. Think bedspreads and little bottles of shampoo, frozen shrimp and stainless serving trays, clothes hangers and turn-down chocolates.
And boy, did I walk out with some great ideas.
One company sells inflatable movie screens - the kind of thing you might see at one of the Lake Las Vegas resorts to show art films under the stars on sublime summer evenings. Note to self: Rent an inflatable screen and show home movies of Cassie as a toddler in the bathtub. She'll really enjoy that, don't you think?
Down another aisle, a fellow was selling small moist towels stuffed inside cellophane wrappers. You pop 'em in a microwave to make them steamy and, voila! - you can easily wipe the barbecue sauce off your face and hands.
Mom is always reminding us to wash our hands so maybe I'll order a case for the reunion. They come scented - lemon, lavender, peach mango. Howie, who golfs, would love the smell of mowed grass. My brother Larry, the car guy, would probably prefer eau de Valvoline.
There will be a bunch of young adults at the reunion who might grow restless while the rest of us sit around chewing the fat. So I was attracted to portable dance floors - 3-by-4-foot interlocking plastic squares. (I hope they don't kill the grass.) Imagine the fun after I hook up the old eight-track!
Jeanne and I will put out some snacks during the day. I favor Ritz crackers and Cheez Whiz, but an expert on dipping sauces suggested blending horseradish and raspberry jelly. "It's hot and sweet at the same time," he said. "Depending on the proportions, you could burn someone's brains." Heh heh, don't tell my brother Ken but I've got an idea ...
We'll need to rent some chairs and tables, and I'm a little worried that Gorman kids might park their chewing gum underneath them. Luckily, a company sells "gum wraps" - little pieces of paper folded in matchbook-size covers, in which to discard gum. Or I could just ask the kids to throw their gum over the back fence.
What if someone drinks too much and hurls on the carpet? I found some "emergency clean-up powder" that is advertised to absorb 100 times its weight. I'd better get some.
To really impress people, I'll get a four-tier fountain that can circulate 10 pounds of melted chocolate chips. How decadently Vegas is that? We can stick strawberries or pretzels under the liquid chocolate or, Gormans being Gormans, our fingers.
And if I really want to show off how successful I am (always a Gorman family reunion goal), I can lay out a few bottles of "Bling." It is advertised as the most expensive bottled water.
A 3/4-liter bottle of Bling costs about $75 and no wonder why. The spring water is contained in a corked, beautifully etched and frosted glass bottle with the word "Bling" spelled with 61 Swarovski crystals.
I bet Mom will scrape the crystals off the bottles and put them in her purse. Happy birthday, Mom!
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