JOY SET ENTERTAINMENT

A great alternative to flower delivery for Valentine's Day

Joy Set is gearing up for Valentine’s Day.  We are pleased to offer a special on our popular balloon delivery and singing telegram options.  From now until Valentine’s Day, you can purchase the “Sweetheart Special”  For only $99 here is what you will receive:

• A customized singing / novelty telegram for your loved one.  Check out the many options available on our Singing Telegrams Page
• A deluxe balloon creation.  Popular choices are giant flowers, monkey (see picture), big bear, and flowers in a vase.  And of course we are able to accomodate many requests as well with our balloon art.
• A gift certificate for $50 off any of our services of $100 or more.

This is a fantastic deal and there are limited delivery times and delivery areas available.  Contact us today (864) 299 1949 to schedule your Sweetheart Special!

Happy New Year and welcome to 2012. 2011 was the best year that Joy Set Enertainment has had to date. We did hundreds of birthday parties in Greenville, Anderson, Spartanburg, and Laurens, SC.  In addition to providing top notch birthday entertainers, Joy Set also taught balloon twisting and face painting at numerous events and places such as camps, schools, and conventions.  Of course Joy Set did not just focus on the Upstate of SC. We were honored to be selected to entertain at the White House (yes THE White House … as in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue) for their Fourth of July Celebration.  And we entertained in North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, and Maryland.

Focused Excellence  Now it is time to focus on what changes are in store for Joy Set Entertainment this coming year. We will be expanding some of what we do and more narrowly focusing other areas. You see, we don’t want to be a jack of all trades and master of none.  Instead we want to maintain excellence in key areas.   We will continue to train our entertainers to be the best magicians, the best balloon artists, the best face painters, and the best clowns.  We will attend face painting classes, balloon jams, and clown conventions.  We will invest in new magic tricks, face painting equipment, clown props, and balloon pumps to improve our effeciency.   We are grateful that so many have trusted Joy Set Entertainment for their special events.  And it does not matter whether that event is a birthday party for a little boy and eight of his friends or for the President of the United States and 2000 members of the armed forces and their families, we will always do our very best!

Geographical Expansion  Joy Set loves being in the Greenville, SC area.  We have no plans of changing our home base.  In 2012 we have events planned in Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and all parts of South Carolina.  And we are working on doing balloon twisting, face painting, and clowning in different countries throughout the world.  Joy Set has been invited to attend and host events in other countries, but we have not yet been able to do that.  We are hoping that 2012 will be the year that we get to go and see more of this fantastic planet.

Teamwork  In order to achieve our first two goals, Joy Set Entertainment will be more closely working with great entertainers in the Greenville, Spartanburg, and Anderson areas.  We hope to bring more people onto our team that are commited to excellence.  Rest assured that anyone that becomes part of Joy Set will abide by our Triple Guarantee. 

It is going to be a great year.  I for one don’t care that the Mayans didn’t finish the calendar for this year, or what some people think that Nostradamus might have meant to say if it could be interpreted to mean ….. I am walking boldly and confidently into 2012 and beyond!

Hey everyone, I have just a quick moment to share this video with you. We here at Joy Set Entertainment have been busy all over Greenville, Anderson, Spartanburg, and Laurens, South Carolina. In addition to providing birthday entertainers (clowns, face painters, balloon twisters, and magicians) we are doing Christmas programs as well right now (elves, Christmas balloon decor, and more). And of course just around the corner we are getting ready to do some balloon drops for New Year’s Eve parties. We are so thankful for all the birthday parties, church ministries, cororate picnics, library shows, school shows, camp programs, training events, balloon classes, face painting classes, and so many more to even list that we were able to do in 2011. This has been an amazing year for our whole team and we are looking forward to an even better 2012!

My daughter taught me a valuable lesson about balloon twisting in 2004.   My oldest daughter, Cherie was only six at the time.  She had learned how to twist a few basic shapes.  Her favorite was the dog, and she made them anytime that she could.   Once when I had her with me at a restaurant in Greenville she decided that she was going to “help her Daddy make balloons.”  Soon enough she was happily twisting a purple dog balloon.  She gave it to a nice lady and got a $10 tip. 

Now wait a minute.  I am the balloon twister here!  But I decided to put my own artistic pride aside and have a bit of fatherly pride.  Yup, the kid had done good, and she had the cuteness factor working for her.   Of course ten dollars was a small fortune to a kindergartner.  Cherie was amazed by this.  “You mean people PAY MONEY for balloons.” she exclaimed.  I explained the concept of tipping as best as I could to a six year old.  And I somewhat reluctantly allowed her to keep the money. 

A few days later I was going to take her to the store so she could spend her money.  “Go get your ten dollars Cherie.” I said.

“Its gone.” Cherie said.

I was upset.  My daughter has lost this money, or wasted it on candy, or who knows what.  As calmly as I could, I asked “What happened to your money?”

She said “There was a lot of water in Asia.  And my class collected money to help people.”  This was right after the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami in December of 2004.  Cherie attended a private Christian school that sent money in to help with the relief efforts.  So when Cherie learned that hurting people needed money, she happily gave all she had.  Here I was worried that my girl had squandered a few dollars when she had actually been very loving and giving.

I softly said “I am proud of you Cherie.”  My daughter taught me that money was a tool, just like my balloons.  Money can be useful for caring for the needs of my family.  And at the end of my day my family is more important than the money. 

I am grateful that all three of my children have shown an interest in carrying on the family business.  Sure our business consists of being a clown, or being a face painter, or a magician, or a balloon twister.  But I am even more grateful that they all have giving hearts.  They have donated their time and efforts into feeding the homeless in Greenville.  They give to our church.  They put aside their allowance to give Christmas presents for needy children.  Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.

So how did two balloon twisters from Greenville, SC wind up doing balloon art at the White House?  It does help that Joy Set has good balloon skills.  But in this case, it is not just what you know, but who you know.  Carl has been good friends with the man who has coordinated this event for the past several years, Todd Neufeld.    Carl has worked with him at Balloon Town USA, been to many balloon conventions with him, and even learned SEO alongside of him.

We found out on June 15 that we would be able to go to the White House this year to twist balloons.  The coordinator had asked us in 2010, but we were booked already when he was notified, so we kept it in the back of our minds all year. We had events start to be booked, and with each one, we made sure one of our entertainment friends would be able to cover them.  So, Saturday afternoon, we were all packed & headed north. We only traveled halfway (to Roanoke) and spent the night. Sunday morning, we drove on into DC.  I have a cousin who lives in MD, just north of DC, and she & her family was gracious to let us stay with her for a couple of nights. She gave us advice on travel & parking. I told her the coordinator needed my vehicle information to which she replied that it was rare to get to actually drive onto the grounds.  Now I knew we were “special” folk. Meanwhile, we loaded our balloon bags & aprons & “showed off” a little for the family.

Monday morning, we got our things together & waited until it was close enough to leave. We drove into DC & arrived at the bus blocking E St. This is where the first security gate is located. Showing ID & having the van searched was interesting, but quick. (We had left all our stuff except balloons at my cousin’s.) We then drove through the next gate & found a parking space. We walked through a 3rd, and final, security gate & we were officially on the White House lawn!  SO COOL!  WE HAD ARRIVED!

Now, we arrived at 2PM at the first gate. We were inside by 2:30. Guests weren’t scheduled to arrive until 5PM. So, we found where we wanted to be & some made balloons for picture purposes. We walked around looking at everything, absorbing where we were. I was studying decor centerpieces (most of which were recyclable). We saw Bo, the first dog, being taken for a walk. We walked up to the rose garden, but weren’t allowed to enter, chatted with Secret Service agents. Just getting a feel for the location. Food was being prepared, drinks were being delivered, games were set up, and photo booths were energized for all to get their picture taken to prove they too had been on the lawn.

 At 5PM, the crowds started trickling in … and we almost immediately had a line … 7 balloon twisters, 7 lines, all in a row … pretty much non-stop until 8PM. In that respect, this event was pretty much like any other event we do. Get in a zone & twist to get the balloons to the guests. Around 6PM, the Military Marching Band lined up & marched through playing “Semper Fi” (we saw the rehearsal as well). They marched up toward the White House & when they arrived there, the President stepped out on the balcony and gave a speech about our appreciation of our military. With him were representatives from each branch, as he gave specifics of some of their courageous acts. He then stepped down into the crowd & greeted some of the families. He never made it over to where we were, though.

 Then leading up to 8PM, one Secret Service agent and several interns did the hardest thing anyone ever does .. they ended our balloon lines.  We packed up our things at 8 & were offered the opportunity to stay & watch the show & fireworks.  Carl & I left anyway.  We didn’t know the bands, fireworks are fireworks, and we knew if we left then, there wouldn’t be as much traffic. It was actually more difficult to leave the grounds than it had been to get in. (directions were not given, so trying to get out was confusing)

   So, now we are back in SC & we had a lifetime experience.  If we were invited back, we’d go.  Meanwhile, we have pictures to prove we were there.    Paula