Scot Forge Backyard BBQ Picnic
Scot Forge is a Spring Grove-based company that boasts 120 years of success. And although its expertise comes in the niche of custom open die forgings and seamless rolled rings while ours is in catering, we make the perfect team when it comes to rewarding hard-working employees.
On Saturday, July 16, we worked with Scot Forge to throw a spectacular backyard BBQ picnic at The Shores of Turtle Creek. With the 32-acre property being right across the street from the Scot Forge company headquarters in beautiful Spring Grove, we can’t imagine a more fitting location for employees and their families to relax and play. Check out how we filled this incredible venue with mouthwatering picnic food and outrageous fun for all ages.
Exceptional Chicago Picnic Food and Entertainment
Welcome Area Surprises
Because they were expecting 700 guests, wristbands and a friendly welcome were a must. But the welcome area also had a surprise in store: Scot Forge stocked it with employee giveaways. In the afternoon, our staff passed these out with a smile and appreciation for employees’ hard work. We know the job of Chicago catering companies goes far beyond delivering a delicious and affordable picnic menu—we are here to make employees feel great from event opening to close.
Hot Off the Grill
From 11:30am to 2:00pm, our grill masters worked their magic—cooking tender meat and serving it straight from the grill to guests’ plates. Now that is service! 700 lucky Scot Forge guests chose from this selection of delicious Chicago BBQ catering cooked on-site:
- Black Angus 1/3 lb. pure beef hamburgers
- Vegetable garden burgers
- Jumbo Black Angus hot dogs
- Chicken quarters
- Bratwurst
To round out their plates, guests chose from satisfying classic picnic sides like macaroni salad, chunk redskin potato salad and macaroni & cheese. And, of course, fresh slices of watermelon were available for guests to enjoy with a refreshing drink.
And because we wanted to fill every hour, every station and every guest of this big picnic with fun, we also set up a corn roaster to cook fresh sweet corn on-site. The surprise? Guests also found an impressive assortment of flavored salts and seasonings to make their corn on the cob uniquely delicious. And we did not stop there. Just 30 minutes after the main food service ended and guests may have thought that was a wrap, we made available a limited grill menu with whole fresh fruit.
Fun Picnic Food
Have we mentioned how we believe that food itself is part of picnic fun? Our friendly staff grilling tender meat over a live fire wasn’t enough for a picnic of this size. We simply could not contain the fun food to the designated food area. Ice cream novelties were handed out from an old-fashioned Good Humor truck, sno cones were a big hit in the seating area and a popcorn machine ran by the beer trailer and in the Fun HQ area. But we have to thank the Scot Forge guests for giving us the real treat—we loved seeing what favorite picnic foods they contributed to the annual potluck.
Endless Chicago Picnic Entertainment
Although it was at last year’s Scot Forge picnic that kids were actually running around in superhero capes, the plethora of entertainment options at this year’s backyard BBQ-themed picnic created the same excitement. While a DJ lit up the main stage with high-energy music, guests of all ages eagerly scouted out the various picnic activities spread across The Shores of Turtle Creek.
The Shores of Turtle Creek is one of our favorite Chicago picnic venues because the vast grounds let us go all-out with picnic games and activities. Of course, the professionally maintained green lawns invite a variety of field games, like:
- Tug of war
- Bigfoot races
- Potato sacks
- Water balloons
- Hula hoops
- Obstacle course
- Limbo
- Wacky trikes
If those games made a dent in guests’ energy, then they could pause for a photo op. We had props handy, but many came out with a smile and an extra touch of style after visiting one of these artistic booths:
- Balloon twister
- Face painters
- Glitter tattoos artists
- Parade decorations station
- Decorate a grilling apron station
If ever in doubt about where to go next, guests could count on the Fun HQ for a good time. The DJ also emceed the parade that brought everyone together at 1:30pm. Soon after, a raffle also stole the attention of the guests before they split off to try out more popular picnic activities like:
- Climbing wall
- Dunk tank and bullhorn
- 26′ slide
- Slip and dip
- Moonwalk
- Wind tunnel
- Chair swing
- Trackless choo choo
Finally, from 3:30pm to 5pm, many adults again gathered for bingo. Prizes were handed out to the lucky winners, but nobody went home empty-handed, because we also handed out take-home gifts to each employee.