WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2003
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 9
Photo courtesy of www.efoamparty.com
Two turntables and a microphone are not enough for dancing patrons at a Santa Monica foam party. These sudsy galas have been popular for years in Europe and on the West Coast, but Lawrence clubs are just beginning to catch on to the craze.
WET'N'WILD
Foam parties popular despite damages,risks
By Amy Kelly
akelle@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
In the party-going world, foam is beginning to mean more than just the head on top of a cool brewski.
Foam parties are considered neo-pool parties with streaming suds and rinsing is discouraged.
This Saturday, Jack Flanigans Bar & Grill, 806 W.24th St., will use its space for the craze that has lathered up people for two decades.
Foam parties flourished in Ibiza, Spain during the 1980s and are still going strong today in European night life.
But now Lawrence clubs have resurrected the trend at clubs such as the Granada Theatre, 1020 Massachusetts St.
Of course, Midwestern foam party novices are working out kinks along the way.
The Granada held its second foam party two weeks ago, attracting about 500 people with only a few days of radio advertising.
Members of Sigma Chi brought the foam machine to the first Granada event, but owner James Radina said he decided to purchase his own equipment, which can cost more than $2,500, for the second party through www.efoamparty.com after positive feedback.
Radina said although he could probably
draw even more people at future foam parties, he wasn't rushing to start planning another one after the water and foam leaked through the Granada's hardwood floors.
"It pretty much ruined our floor both times," said Radina. "But it was nothing compared to what the Insane Clown Posse did to our floors when they played here."
Radina said he thought foam parties were still a fun idea and was planning to sponsor one outdoors.
Even the health issues that have arisen aren't a hindrance to those who have experienced foam parties.
Two years ago in Calgary, Canada, three dozen people at a foam party suffered chemical burns in their eyes from an improperly mixed solution.
Heather Hellman, Wichita junior, stayed in a foam pit for two hours at the Kansas Expo Center in Topeka and did suffer slight chafing, but said it was not an allergic reaction. She likened the sensation to shaving without soap or gel.
Severe cases such as the one in Calgary are rare, however. Foam manufacturers Primetime and FoamMasters touted their foam as non-toxic and non-allergenic.
"Oh, I would definitely go to another one," Hellman said. "I'll just drink a lot of water and moisturize really well before I go next time."
- Edited by Maggie Newcomer
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