Moustache Bash EE @ HG Lodge

Ok, so I’m like 2 years too late to review this party. But it was a great YEE! I still refer to it when I talk about moustache themed parties. Surprisingly they are more common than I thought. Tasty drinks and lots of yummy snacks. Molly Moon arrived a little late, but any party she’s at, is a good party.
Anyhoo, this picture is a good indicator of how much fun I had:
Yes, I was rockin’ the tummy-​stache. Happy trail, be damned. This is the next evolution!
Much and very belated thank you to Katy for making the party awesome.

Lines o’ plenty… I think that we spent more time queuing for things than mingling with other Unilocalers. We didn’t stay long. The downstairs bar ran out of liquor and ultimately, it wasn’t really our scene. I loved watching the facial hair configurations walk by and my own boyfriend rocked an interesting look for the special occasion.
Molly Moon’s set up outside and we tasted a few samples before heading to the other parking lot. Before heading out, we snagged our free nosh from Skillet and stood outside eating. I loved their pork sliders but found the poutine lacking. Maybe it was the lukewarm temperature or the exceedingly salty gravy. Either way, I wasn’t won over and I’m a poutine fan!
I decided to give the event four stars because everyone appeared to have a grand time and Katy did host a shiny night, even if I personally didn’t have the best time.

I had a great time. The food from Skillet was really good, and I had no problems with getting drinks (though I ordered beer, which is my preference in any event). I also got another chance to meet some more great Unilocalers, and thanks to some Elites being more strategic with their +1s, this was a great opportunity to meet some awesome non-​Elites, as well (e.g., the artist formerly known as «Ninja»; the mysterious Elle; a dapper Silver Fox; and if I understand correctly, the famous Mr. Robot O.).
The mustaches were a lot of fun — except that I found the fake eyebrows strangely eerie.
I did wish, though, that the line at the front and the line for the drinks had moved a bit more quickly. On the other hand, I really enjoyed the fact that we had Elite Unilocalers writing down our names and checking us in – it was just another opportunity to get to know them, as well! (So thank you, Vanessa H. and John L., and everyone else who helped.)
And thank you, Katy, for another great event!

Prior to this event, I conjured up a plethora of scenarios:
Gentleman donning a sharp-​lookin’ black suit and slacks with bowler hat, stub ‘stache and nice shoes walks in arm-​linked to his lady who who has the appropriately matching dress plus a stick on pointy pencil mustache.
A bunch of ridiculous looking goonies decide mustaches – BUSHY mustaches – would look awesome as unibrows!!! YES! BRILLIANT! xD
Lots of flat, homemade ‘staches armed with double-​sided tape, marker, and traced/​freehanded cut shapes. Fun in their own way, and really it’s the thought that countd, right?
So, I, myself, didn’t exactly spot those specifically, but I do believe I spotted a combination of those, and then some. The Seattle CM/​YA, Katy H, put together a great EE here. Sure, any large event can have some hickups here and there, but they usually are drowned out by everyone having a good time. For me, this certainly isn’t a scene I’d frequent, but almost anything can go for the rare occasion. Great upstairs deck, with separate bar, offers an extra option to chill more relaxed, as opposed to the hoppin’ and boppin’ downstairs bar and lounge area — you could even feel the wicked beats on the deck floor and maybe even spilled a drink if you placed one on it. Some people’s styles reminded me of Bert & Ernie’s bushy brows. Haha! Lots of great people; one of these days I’m gonna try something for fun and go around just introducing myself to random people.
Sigh… if only I partook in the fun with more than just my natural fuzz.

+ I like mustaches — I’ve been sporting one for the past couple years.
+ I like mullets — My hairstyle can be categorized as a variation of the classic mullet.
+ I like getting my hair styled and touched and teased.
+ I like free booze.
+ I like Skillet A LOT.
+ I like Molly Moon’s Ice cream.
This event combined all of the above into a 2-​hour shindig at one of the chillest new venues in town. There was no way I could’ve not liked this.
The invite warned,. or advised, us to eat dinner beforehand because there would only be sample-​sized finger foods. So I did just that and got to the Skillet in the parking lot early before the event. Really glad I did, cause I got to try their sausage on a hoagie, which was yumm.
Got a regular-​sized poutine, too, which was a real generous portion. Too big even for 2 people. It’s rich and heavy with a good lather of cheese and gravy.
There was a good vibe all around. Met some new people. Some of you were way intoxicated when I talked to you… won’t name names.
There were definitely some good jams played.
Bartenders were super nice, too.
To top it all off, I won a bottle of wine and a mustache comb! Thanks for putting your voting stickers on me.
Had a blast. Thanks Katy!

Thanks Unilocal,it was sooooooo much fun! The drinks were delicious… had many of the muddled lemon cocktails, yum! Snacks from Skillet rocked– loved the fennel slaw on the pork sliders, whooo. Wish I had more tickets and could have had another.
Thanks for having the ladies there doing to up-​dos, they made me like 7 inches taller, and my hair looked super awesome– totally matched my fuzzy goatee! Boyfriend won us a bottle of wine and a «Hairy Gary» game with his super furry field of chest-​hair, so thanks to everyone who gave him a sticker!
The bar was really cool… we spent a lot of time on the rooftop because it was a gorgeous evening. Got to meet a lot of cool people, can’t wait to go to another event and meet more of ya’ll!

I am so glad I was invited as a +1 to this event! It was so much fun. I was a little hesitant to rock a full on ‘stache, so I drew one on my finger in permanent marker and just rocked it when I was so inclined. But I loved everyone’s moustaches!
I have tried Skillet’s bacon jam before but have never had the opportunity to try any of their other food. I had both the pork slider and the poutine and thought they were both delicious. I will definitely be on the lookout for the Skillet truck in the future, that’s for sure.
The Molly Moon’s truck was awesome too. I had just happened to see the truck on the local program New Day Northwest this morning, which is weird because I never watch daytime TV, and I said to myself that I have to track it down and try it. So when it was in front of the event I was pleasantly surprised — tried the Scout Mint and Salted Caramel flavors and both were delicious!
The interior of HG Lodge was nice as well. Plenty of seating and loved the ambience — the upstairs patio was great! The drinks were to die for too. I had both the cosmo and the berry lemonade — divine!
And most importantly, thanks to the ladies from Salon Swagger for transforming me from an average Seattleite into a Texas pageant queen. Go big or go home is what I say, and my hair was definitely big! Loved it. Definitely had a fun time tonight!

Put away the cash, slap on the stache, dash to the bash, and smoke some… I mean… um… get ready to do the… monster mash?
What I meant to say was…
Good god! Never have I seen so much mustache on mustache action!
Wait… that’s not what I meant to say either.
*Ahem* I made the trek up from Olympia to partake in this fine event… my first Unilocal event, elite or otherwise. There were some lines, it was hot, but it was also a blast.
I put real life personalities to the opinionated thumbnails I’ve seen so often, loaded free cocktails/​beers into my belly, enjoyed a fantastic night to hang out on the outside patio, and got my (awkward) networking on. I didn’t get a chance to sample Skillet or Molly Moos as I arrived early and the event’s proximity to the Honey Hole left me no choice other than to seek out a sandwich. But don’t you worry fearless food carts, I will find you another day.
Thanks to Katy for making it happening and doing it up real big. I had a blast and will be psyched to make the drive for another great event.
P. S. If the guy who makes the movies with the weasels could contact me… I have an offer to make you.

Fun, even without a ‘stache!
The Top 5 things I liked at this event in no specific order:
1) free booze is nice, so there’s that.
2) finally hitting the deck after the downstairs bar «ran out» of the same booze that was still being served upstairs.
3) running into to so many of my favorite veteran Unilocalers (you guys bring me joy)
4) meeting new Unilocalers (you guys make me laugh)
5) watching PSmoov of Mad Rad/​Fresh Espresso barback for us

Stuff that happened while wearing a fake mustache (or, Why I will never grow a real one):
* (Fake) hair got in my nose, making me sneeze
* (Fake) hair got in my mouth while eating poutine (and at other random times). Swallowing fake hair = ick.
* Faith Y compared me to Ron Jeremy. I don’t think it was a compliment.
* Evan M warned me to stay away from his kids. (The sentiment went away once the mustache came off, I swear).
So while Sam with a mustache was a major fail, everything else about this event was a WIN. I managed to snag a vodka lemonade before they ran out, and it was very tasty. I was also a fan of the poutine that Skillet served up — just the right amount of french fries!
I ended the night by sampling some Molly Moon’s. I was confused — at first, I thought sampling was all that was going on, but they said that they were in fact selling full on scoops as well. Delish.
A barrel full of thanks to Katy H and her awesome helpers for a great event. It was awesome to see everyone and meet a few new folks.
Now I just need to track down those pictures of me in a fake mustache… apparently they’re terrible for my rep…

This event was super duper A-​OK. A solid event that felt more like a UYE (Unofficial Unilocal Event) than an Elite one, which is both good and bad.
The good: I love getting to see people I haven’t in ages and meet new ones whom I’ve only interacted with via the site. I like seeing people a little dressed up, and the true diversity of style. I even forgive Nina Ian for implying that I’m ugly with a great rack. *g*
Right from the get-​go something was way off about this event, and I noticed right away that the door people checking IDs weren’t smiling, being welcoming, or having a good time. They were very «meat market disinterested» and more than a little aloof. The overall tone was one of annoyance.
The inside foyer was crazy packed with 2 bar lines, the welcome/​check in table, and the staff from Swagger. I didn’t even *notice* the upstairs staircase until someone told me about it later. Pretty poor traffic flow, and someone should have been directing the crowd to the upstairs bar & patio area in order to alleviate the lines, open the floor area to people still entering and getting checked-​in, and showcase Swagger a bit more.
The back area is fantastic. I really liked the DJs choice of 90s hits and uptempo beats to keep everyone grooving. The acoustics were great too, unless you were sitting in a booth and directly beneath a speaker obvs. With booths encircling the space, the DJ up high, and a few tables in the middle of the dance floor — there was plenty of space to see, be seen, mingle, get your groove on, and have a swell time. This space and the patio upstairs really sell HG Lodge as chill atmosphere, one where a private party (or two) could thrive.
After I’d mingled a bit, about an hour into the event I was informed that the downstairs bar was out of liquor. I’m sorry, I don’t understand that phrase at all. Especially an hour in — it speaks of poor planning either by the venue or the event planner; you know what your attendance will be and how much alcohol there is — what happened? In the case of potential scarcity, go with a drink ticket system vs open bar and/​or limit people to one drink per trip. Those aren’t new ideas — I’ve seen them in play at other Elite Events.
Even though I was introduced to 3 new businesses (HG Lodge, Molly Moon, & Swagger), the atmosphere just didn’t feel all that «special». I’m not sure if it was the layout or the too chill, laid back, «cooler than thou» demeanor of the staff (only the bartender upstairs on the patio seemed to have a smile and genuinely enjoy being there) but I felt strangely unwanted during the entire night save for an interaction with the Molly Moon staff outside. Overall, I just didn’t get the vibe that they gave a damn who we were or what we were about — which elitism aside (you see what I did there?!), was a poor customer service and sales experience. You should be using this event to market your venue, services, and products, and that includes your staff.
Food: Loved the pork sliders at Skillet more than the poutine (the gravy was lukewarm and not terribly flavorful), and my Molly Moon experience was heavenly. Loved the salted caramel and honey lavender — the samples were quite generous, as were the portions for $ 3.30 (even though I’m not used to paying for anything at an Elite Event).
Maybe I’m spoiled for the days of yore, but I thought Elite Events were supposed to be a reward for being an awesome, useful, funny, cool supporter of Unilocal in addition to a sales pitch for new venues, products, and services. I just didn’t feel that this time in comparison to other events.

I just unfolded my Unilocal poncho.
Due to the nature of how it was originally folded, it will never bunch up into a perfect little rectangle ever ever again. I should have studied it before unfolding it, but hindsight is 20/​20, eh?
Yeah, it’s like an actual size road map of the USA.
Event: Drinks delicious, people perfect, eats exceptional, venue vivacious.
I just wish I could have pulled off the glorious Ron Swanson look, but I didn’t have three-​four months to grow a ‘stache out.
If you got a poncho, don’t ever take it out of the bag. Unless it’s raining, then if you leave it in the bag you’re a dumbass.

‘staches!
Wigs!
Absolut cocktails!
Beer!
Poutine!
Molly Moon’s!
and the HG Lodge? Not bad. Still a wee on the dark side, though.
Event was lots of fun — we saw some AMAZING hair & mustaches & ran into some old (and new) Unilocalers.
Nice work Katy — success once again!

Likely the best Elite Event I’ve ever been to! This was a BLAST!
My +1 and I were ready to go with our hand-​drawn finger mustaches. Little did we know how crazy and over-​the-​top the facial hair of other Unilocalers would be! However, we were content to stare in awe at the various varieties of mustaches seen throughout the HG Lodge.
Skillet was SO GOOD! I was expecting far smaller samples, but when they handed over the pork slider and the poutine, I was shocked! I clearly shouldn’t have eaten dinner before attending this event. Loved the flavors in everything — I’ll definitely be having to hunt this truck down in the future.
It was awesome to try samples from Molly Moon’s. I’d had their ice cream before, but never was really impressed. Last night I finally gave the Salted Caramel a try and was REALLY good. Next time I go to Molly Moon’s, I’ll definitely have to get a full scoop of it!
Loved the HG Lodge — great setting for an event! It was great to have the dancing downstairs and the open air bar upstairs — it was easy to change it up whenever we wanted. The drinks were fab — LOVED the berry lemonade!
Major props to Salon Swagger for providing fantastic up-​dos all night long. I walked a way with some sort of insane combination of Marie Antoinette and a mullet. Too awesome!
Thanks so much to Katy for putting together what was an AWESOME POSSUM Elite Event! She seriously outdid herself! What a blast! Can’t wait for the next one!

If you saw me, you probably saw me don at least five different facial hairstyles throughout the night. This is courtesy of the multi-​packs Spencer Gifts sell. ;)
My fave Elite Event to date. I see some people didn’t like the music… I figured as much would happen as I LOVED it. Seriously. I even thanked and tipped the DJ. He took me and my plus one back to our middle school and high school days with songs that I even question him being old enough to know about. He kept us on the dance floor through 10pm and then wanting more — I would totally hire him for a party.
As far as the bar running out of liquor… when? LOL. We got several drinks and never ran into a problem other than them telling us they ran out of a certain kind of vodka. («you have other vodka?» Bartender «yes». «works for me!».)
The food was good, ice cream better and I totally loved the Lodge. My only thing is every event there is a contest for best dressed (or in this case facial hair) and every event I miss judging because I don’t know it is going on. Oh well.
Got a fabulous up-​do from Swagger (who knew my hair could stay like THAT?), got to watch Nick G.‘s plus one give my plus one a couple lap dances, and mer Xav on the dance floor.
Word of advice — if someone asks if you like goats, say ‘no’.
Over all we had a FAB time and I let Katy know that as we left. So again, thanks Katy… can’t wait to see what you cook up next. :)

MOUSTACHES ARE ITCHY
Good thing I can’t grow them! I loved loved loved the theme of the night and how many people got so into it. Got my hair did by Salon Swagger and boy did they give me some swagger. Although I depleted their entire arsenal of hair pins to contain my lion’s mane of Asian hair.
Absolut Vodka and the HG Lounge bartenders served up some mighty fine drinks from frou frou (fruity) to classic (tonic). Poutine fries and pork sliders from Skillet Food AND a Molly Moon’s ice-​cream truck? Crazy delicious!
Katy pulled off an awesome event as always. HG Lounge hardly has a hint of when it used to be the War Room. Much classier and loungy feeling without any of the ick. Then again, it’s probably because us Unilocalers are pretty tootin’ classy eh?

«Heeeello.»
–Hi
“Niiiiiice. May I ask you a question precious one?”
-(laughs), Sure.
«Do you like goats (or chickens, weasels, ferrets, sheep, bunnies, pigs)?»
-(laughs), Do I like what?!
«Goats. Are you liking goats (or chickens, weasels, ferrets, sheep, bunnies, pigs)?»
–Uh…I suppose so (laughs).
«Niiiiice. Now let me ask you something. Do you like cinema?»
–Yes, I like cinema (laughs).
«Niiiiiiice. Would you like to star in one of my homemade sexy movies?»
–Oh My God! (covers mouth, laughs and runs away).
— — — — — — — — — —
Dress up is fun. My alter ego is apparently a Romanian gypsy named «Vlad» who has an affinity for white fluffy hats, big sunglasses, St Christopher crosses, open shirt blazers, silver teeth, and big ass mustaches. A true artist who produces home made movies with farm animals, and «…very large womens.»
This Unilocal event was the best ever. Thanks to everyone who helped put this on! Katie S., and for the wonderful Unilocal volunteers (I only got to say «hi» to luscious Unilocal party bunnies: Vanessa H., and Inna B.); The beer and vodka vendors; And the yummy yummy ice cream that helped Vlad’s mustache stay on!
Moreover, to every one of the innocent Unilocalies who put up with Vlad’s indecent proposals of livestock stardom. And apologies for finishing off all the vodka before most guests got through the door (poor Vlad, all these women with mustaches made him very thirsty and homesick for his village).
To those whose numbers Vlad collected over the course of the evening, don’t call him. He’ll call you. Except for the woman he spanked outside HG Lodge. She can call. :)

Okay, let’s start with the math:
Katyface gets 5 stars for throwing such an AWESOME party and being adorable and having a great ‘stache. From one party planner to another, Katie, you can plan one heck of a shindig.
HG Lounge gets 4 stars, the employees were nice and funny and the space was pretty inviting and swanky, the music was good (but that might have been due to Katie) and while they made some killer drinks for free and all, they ran out of liquor and when they ran back in, well, they didn’t really let us know and I ended up buying what should have been a free drink… it but thankfully kimber totally pushed me back in line to get another drink and it was all better.
Skillet gets 4 stars as the food was excellent although I wish they would have offered their full menu for sale as well as the comps as I had my heart set on a big ol’ burger.
Somehow I did not manage to go to the Molly Moon’s truck, which is not like me to pass up sweetness, but nonetheless, skipping them in the ratings.
All the ‘staches, wigs, chest wigs and other random fake facial hair wearers get 5 stars as do all the Unilocalers who came up and talked to me even with my ridiculous outfit on.
Angela K gets 5 stars for inviting me and being funny and cool to hang out with.
Todd B gets 4 stars because although he’s my awesome friend who is endlessly fun to hang out with, he refused to wear a mustache and missed the opportunity to ask other attendees if they would like a moustache ride.
Xav, kimber, Lyn, Martha, Marissa, Jorge, John… I’m too hungover to remember everyone else that I hung out with… but I give them all 5 stars, everyone was AWESOME.
Okay, that actually about does it.

The Moustache Bash was definitely a fun and hilarious theme for June’s elite event.
The HG Lodge is dark and club/​bar-​ry feeling. I nearly broke my ankle stepping down to the lower level, thinking it was a ramp rather than stairs. I didn’t spill my drink though, so it could have been a lot worse. Maybe there could be better signage or lighting.
The bartenders were nice and the line moved well, considering they had three tasty cocktails (I think there was a beer available, but we didn’t try it) – muddled lemonade, berry martini, and a vodka tonic – and a line of Unilocalers eager to try them out. Right next to the bar, Swagger was transforming hair into architectural feats. I watched a guy with an already-​impressive pompadour get rocked out with a several inches high/​wide mohawk in moments! Amazing.
The lower level (where I almost fell getting to), had a handful of bistro tables and several large booths that held about 10 people. It was pretty dark, so I don’t know what else was there or where the restrooms were.
We each had a couple food tickets to Skillet and so went around the building to receive poutine and fennel pork sliders. The poutine was a bit dry, no curds in sight, but it was still a pile of salty goodness. The sliders were a pleasant surprise, the bread was soft and chewy and actually held the generous portions of shredded pork and coleslaw. We ate quickly before heading over to the Molly Moon truck for unlimited samples (I liked the honey lavender, it was nice. I heard the strawberry tasted just like pie).
Since it was a Monday night and I’m old and work early, we had to leave halfway through the event. The hub had racked up a few of those ‘yelp’ stickers for his facial hair, but it was no contest with the hair-​shirt guy. lol.
Once more, thank you Katy H, the vendors, and all the wonderful volunteers (John X handing out wristbands and Vanessa H, checked folks off the list) who helped make this another smooth event!
Edited to add: There was an upstairs?!

Moustaches!
HG Lounge!
Skillet!
Absolut Vodka!
Ninkasi Beer!
Salon Swagger!
Are YOU excited? I AM!!!
Now that I’ve… recovered. Yes. Let’s pretend I got REALLY wasted…
First off: Thank you to the aforementioned businesses, Katy H, the crew of volunteers, and Tiffany C from Unilocal HQ!!!
Second: Wow, that’s quite the venue! I’d never been in, and I rather liked it. Especially the rooftop patio upstairs… and those booths downstairs looked pretty cozy.
Third: The theme. LOVED the theme!!! Those mustaches were SO much fun (though a tad too itchy)… and Salon Swagger did a killer job with the crazy ‘dos! I believe they called mine something along the lines of «Kentucky Waterfall.»
Fourth: Yay drinks! Yay Molly Moon samples from the new truck! Yay Skillet, except for that I was anti-​line and then forgot about getting my butt out there to try some of their goodies… oh, well. Next time!
The only sad bit was that they ran out of Absolut at the downstairs bar, and out of the berry at the upstairs bar. They only had the seasonal Ninkasi, so I decided to make it a cocktail night.
Overall a good time time was had (by this girl). I enjoyed chatting it up with some bad-​ass Unilocalers and catching up with a friend I haven’t seen in way too long.
Success!