Time to party, Super Bowl, or no bowl

We’re not in the Super Bowl this year. Time to party!

Maybe you still care, passionately, about the “Mile-High City” versus the “Queen City” (also known as “The Hornet’s Nest,” a name proudly derived from Revolutionary times, when British commander Charles Cornwallis complained that Charlotte, N.C., was “a hornet’s nest of rebellion.” Thanks, Chuck!). Maybe you just really love the game, the spectacle, the potential for juicy controversy such as wardrobe malfunction and pigskin deflation. Or maybe good times with good friends over good food and drink is enough for you.

Whichever kind of partier you are, Ridgefield has what you’re looking for. The town’s monthly First Saturday outing, starting at 10 a.m. Feb. 6, will be one gigantic tailgate party in and around Overlook Park, the heart of downtown. (Because the park is pretty small, administrative services director Lee Knottnerus asks visitors to please park their tailgate trucks along the street nearby.)

Co-sponsored by the city, Sage Organics and A Merry Heart Events, the tailgate party will feature food from local vendors and the Steakburger On the Go truck, art from the Ridgefield Art Association and live American-songbook standards from the Carl Munsey Trio. There will be an outdoor beer garden with mulled wine, too — as well as other hot, nonalcoholic refreshments for a cold morning.

Plus, there will be plenty of seasonal play. Flag football, cornhole, punt-pass-kick and a football throw contest are all on deck. So is a football mascots scavenger hunt that could keep you busy visiting local shops all day.

The Community Chili Challenge begins at noon. A dozen local chili chefs will submit recipes to a panel of expert judges for their determination of Best Overall Taste. (Unfortunately, the state Health Department forbids the chefs from serving chili to the public. Tasting will be by judges only.) There’s a $250 grand prize and a $100 second prize.

Throw your own

But maybe you really don’t give a rip about armies of gorillas banging their brains together. Maybe you resent the mandatory national religious observance known as the Super Bowl. Maybe you’re even up for a mass occupation of your living room to exercise your First Amendment right to be football-free?

Here’s a roundup of nonfootball themes for a great gathering. It’s still time to party!

• Dinner: Make it mega-formal, with pearls (real or fake) and high heels, black ties and even tails if you dare. Serve that fancy dish you’ve always dreamed of. Or just the opposite: make it a come-as-you-are potluck with guests bringing their favorite comfort foods.

Or, make it a progressive, traveling dinner. That’s a dinner in which each course is served at a different host’s home. Start with appetizers or cocktails, travel elsewhere for soup and salad, move again to the main course, and then make one more visit for dessert. This kind of thing works best when you don’t have too much ground to cover — strolling between nearby neighbors’ homes is a nice way to rebuild your appetite while socializing — but if you must drive, consider a designated driver or even hiring a chauffeur.

Planning and food prep are crucial. Nailing down a schedule for making your moves is, too, so food stays hot and fresh, and no one is stuck in the kitchen when the crowd shows up too early or too late. The bigger the crowd, the more complicated this will get, so consider keeping it small.

• House concert: Got a favorite local singer-songwriter or band? Find them on Facebook. Suggest an intimate little gig. Discuss whether to charge a nominal ticket price yourself, let the talent take care of that business or just make it freebie (with a tip jar). Figure out where in your house makes sense. Warn your neighbors if it’ll be loud. Will you need chairs? Will you serve anything? Is it BYOB?

• Talent show: Nothing’s more old-fashioned. What did people used to do for entertainment before modern times and show business? They entertained each other. They sang songs, told stories and jokes, performed magic tricks and sketches, even gave little speeches and travelogues.

• Singalong: A version of the talent show in which no one sticks out. Somebody might have to lead though, unless everybody takes turns.

• Mystery: You can buy a kit, download software and scripts, or just design your own live-action version of “Clue.” Themed kits cover every imaginable angle, from holidays to historical eras and haunted houses to girlfriends-only. Distribute (or hide) the evidence. Assign roles to your guests. When they arrive — in costume, of course — they’ll be able to examine the “crime scene” and interrogate each other in search of the killer. When it’s all over, nothing’s more fun than comparing notes about the twists and turns of deduction and conclusion.

• Tea party: Do it like the Brits do. That doesn’t mean pinkies up. It does mean formal dress, milk and lemon, pastries and cucumber sandwiches — and separate pots for brewed black, green and other teas, all between 3:30 and 5 p.m., if you please. Make it more of a full meal, and you’ve gone from “afternoon tea” to “high tea.”

• Odd observance: Feb. 7 isn’t just Super Bowl day this year. It’s also National Periodic Table Day and National Fettuccini Alfredo Day. And later this month are National Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day (Feb. 11), National Do a Grouch a Favor Day (Feb. 16) and National False Eyelash Day (Feb. 19). Who makes these ridiculous designations? Who cares? The website www.nationaldaycalendar.com is an exhaustive list of silly special days. Pick a goofy theme and throw a goofy party!