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Sophie’s 40th Birthday Party

PARTY DETAILS

Welcome to the event details page for Sophie’s 40th Birthday Party! Here, you will find important event details, be able to RSVP, and have access to additional party info such as local accommodations, the party playlist, trivia prep, and gift ideas. Continue scrolling for this and other great info!

Bright flowers

EVENT INFO

Date: March 15th, 2025

Time: 4:30pm – 9:00pm

Location: Crossway Baptist Church

3200 Gosford Road, Bakersfield, CA 93309

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ACCOMMODATIONS

If you’ll be booking a room at a local hotel, here are two options near Crossway:

Hyatt Place Bakersfield

  • On Coffee Road, 2.5 miles from Crossway
  • Across the street from Miyoshi, our favorite local Japanese restaurant (closed on Sundays)

Home 2 Suites by Hilton

  • On Brimhall Road, 3.5 miles from Crossway
  • Across the street from Frugatti’s, our favorite local Italian restaurant (Sophie HIGHLY recommends the Pinot Grigio Mushroom Chicken!)

Scroll down to the bottom for more Dining and Activity recommendations for our out-of-town guests who want to try a few things while they’re here!

AT THE PARTY

Sophie is so excited about the party and has lined up some of her all-time favorite things to share with you at her 40th. Here are some of the special things Sophie has planned:

GOSPEL PRESENTATION:

  • The Gospel of Salvation by faith alone, through grace alone, because of the work of Christ alone, as revealed in Scripture alone, for the glory of God alone is the most beautiful information under the sun and Sophie loves to hear it over and over again. She’s asked Pastor Brock to include it in his birthday address and is so excited to have the Good News shared at her party!
  • If you’d like to learn more about the Gospel, Sophie recommends the following resources as great places to start:

WORSHIP SONGS:

  • Hymns and worship songs are such a blessing and Sophie is excited to spend time singing her all-time favorites with you at the party! Here’s a YouTube playlist of the songs we’ll be singing so you can learn them ahead of the party. Caleb Lawson has generously agreed to lead us as we sing the following songs:
    • Grace Greater Than All Our Sin
    • I Surrender All
    • Day by Day
    • It Is Well With My Soul
    • He Will Hold Me Fast
    • Welcome Home

DISNEY TRIVIA:

  • Sophie has a deep love of classic Disney 2D animation. If you haven’t seen it already, Sophie HIGHLY recommends watching Disney’s The Reluctant Dragon, which is a fun exploration of the process of 2D animation at the Walt Disney Animation Studios in the early days of this phenomenal art form (circa 1941). You can stream The Reluctant Dragon on Disney+ or purchase it from your favorite digital retailer.
  • At the party, we’ll be playing a fun Disney Trivia game, so now’s the time to brush up on Disney’s classic 2D animated films. Being a teacher, Sophie wants to make sure you have a good study guide, so here are some hints to help you prepare for the Disney Trivia game:
    • Questions will only come from within the movies themselves (characters, settings, storyline, songs, etc.), not technical or production details.
    • Questions will increase in difficulty as the rounds progress and Sophie will prepare tie-breaker questions juuuuuust in case.
    • Questions will only come from Sophie’s favorite classic Disney 2D animation films, namely:
      • Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
      • Pinocchio
      • Dumbo
      • Bambi
      • Cinderella
      • Alice in Wonderland
      • Peter Pan
      • Lady and the Tramp
      • Sleeping Beauty
      • 101 Dalmatians
      • The Sword in the Stone
      • The Jungle Book
      • The Aristocats
      • Robin Hood
      • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
      • The Rescuers
      • The Fox and the Hound
      • The Great Mouse Detective
      • Oliver and Company
      • The Little Mermaid
      • The Rescuers Down Under
      • Beauty and the Beast
      • Aladdin
      • The Lion King
      • Pocahontas

SOPHIE’S FAVORITE THINGS RAFFLE:

  • Yup, you heard that right! When Sophie loves something, she REALLY loves it and nothing gives her more joy than sharing the things she loves with the people she loves, so everyone will have a chance to win some of Sophie’s favorite things at the party!

LOTS OF PARTY FAVORS:

  • Sophie’s a gift giver and she also loves surprises, so although we won’t be telling you what you’ll be getting at the party, just know  you will be walking away with some pretty fun stuff!

PARTY ITINERARY:

  • 4:30PM – GUEST ARRIVAL
  • 4:45PM – WORSHIP THROUGH SONG
  • 5:15PM – GOSPEL PRESENTATION
  • 5:30PM – PRAYER & DINNER
  • 6:30PM – DISNEY TRIVIA
  • 7:15PM – RAFFLE
  • 7:45PM – PARTY FAVORS & DESSERTS
  • 8:15PM – BIRTHDAY SONG & GIFTS
  • 9:00PM – THANK YOU AND GOODNIGHT

GIFT IDEAS

Sophie loves gifts and surprises, but she realizes that sometimes knowing what people would want to receive as a gift is helpful. Although no gifts are required, if you’d like to get Sophie something for her birthday and would benefit from gift ideas, here are some of the types of things Sophie loves:

DINING IN BAKO

In addition to Miyoshi and Frugatti’s, here are some of our other favorite places to eat in Bakersfield:

  • The Petroleum Club: This is Sophie’s favorite restaurant in Bakersfield! She suggests either the Filet Mignon or the Mushroom Risotto. Andrew’s a big fan of the Steak Frites – the garlic parmesan fries are amazing! Both Andrew and Sophie agree that the Butter Cake at Petroleum Club is the best dessert around!
  • Blue Elephant Thai & Blue Table Thai: These two restaurants tie for Andrew and Sophie’s favorite Thai cuisine in Bakersfield. Blue Elephant has the best Chicken Pad Thai, Chicken Fried Rice, and Sticky Rice with Mango, but Blue Table has the best Crying Tiger and BBQ Pork, the latter of which might just be the best pork dish we’ve ever eaten! You may just have to visit both so you can decide which you one you like better!
  • The 18hundred: This sleek but vintage eatery in downtown has a great kale Cesar salad and delicious roasted corn, Sophie’s go-to order every time!
  • Dewar’s: There’s a bit of a running joke that families in Bakersfield are either Dewar’s families or Rosemary’s families. We are a very enthusiastic Dewar’s family! They have wonderful ice cream flavors, delightful caramels, and we like that there are multiple locations around town (we generally frequent the shop on Calloway so we can see the “Singing Moose”). You can even take a tour of the candy shop Tuesdays – Thursdays at 10:30am if you call in advance to schedule one.
  • Tastries Bakery: This is one of Sophie’s favorite shops in Bakersfield! Filled with gorgeous pastry displays and delicious treats, this little shop is where Sophie orders the custom sugar cookies she and her family love so much!

ACTIVITIES IN BAKO

  • CHURCH! We LOVE our church and would be thrilled for you to join us for our worship service the morning after the party! Service starts at 10:15am on Sunday at the same location as the party: Crossway Baptist Church.
  • California Living Museum (CALM) Zoo. We have the cutest little zoo here in Bakersfield, with a great reptile house (Evie’s favorite), fox exhibit (Addie’s favorite), park and picnic area (Ellie & Daisy’s favorite), and a train that runs on the weekends (Caleb’s favorite).
  • Kern County Museum: We love visiting the Kern County Museum and all its historic buildings. It also has a neat exhibit on the oil industry here in Kern county – we had no idea so much of California’s oil comes from right here in our backyard!
  • Bakersfield Antique District: There are a handful of antique stores we like to visit in downtown, but our favorite one is called Timeless Furnishings. Lots of gadgets, gizmos, whose-its, whats-its, and thingamabobs to explore!
  • The Kitchen: I recently joined my good friend April at The Kitchen to celebrate her birthday and it was a lovely (and delicious) event! There aren’t any events on the schedule right now, but they frequently book private cooking classes, themed dinners, and special events, so gathering a group together to visit this little gem is a must if you are able!
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For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. Romans 1:16