Over a hundred people showed up to make the Ugly Christmas Sweater party a success. We had Longface Ale and Dinky Wheat from Olde Main (who is quickly becoming our favorite sponsor).  We asked attendees to to bring donations for the Central Iowa Shelter and couldn’t have been more excited about the quantity and quality of items donated.  Jason Walsmith of The Nadas provided the live music for the evening which was made possible by our other sponsor for the evening The Technology Association of Iowa.

After the Ugly Sweater Party we took the donations to the Central Iowa Shelter and started organizing for a New Years Eve dinner at the shelter which we were helping Doug Mitchell and Claire Celsi organize.  Thanks to the Des Moines Register inviting volunteers to join us in serving dinner we had an amazing turn out that night and were able to go out and serve dinner to everyone. Claire was able to get cornbread donated by Famous Dave’s and our own Daniel Shipton made the chili for the evening. Volunteers brought cookies, drinks and all the chili “fixin’s”.

Overall we were very excited that for the holiday season we were able to have fun and really get out and help those less fortunate than ourselves. We want to thank everyone who donated items and their time. It wouldn’t have been a success without you.

Check out our flickr photostream for more pictures of the event!

Impromptu Studio has had tremendous luck when it comes to attracting sponsors for events.  The newest sponsor to step forward to connect with our community is The Technology Assocation of Iowa.

The Technology Association of Iowa bills themselves as the voice of Iowa’s high tech industry:

The Technology Association of Iowa (TAI) is a member-based, not-for-profit organization accelerating the success of Iowa’s technology industry.  TAI works to create and sustain a positive environment for technology-based economic growth and job creation through innovation, advocacy and leadership.  Visit their website at www.technologyiowa.org.

The Technology Association of Iowa also runs the “academy awards” of Iowa’s technology industry, the Prometheus Awards:

Iowa’s largest and most prestigious awards devoted to promoting and celebrating the innovation and high-tech excellence in Iowa. This showcase honors companies and individuals who represent the best and brightest in technology and business and have demonstrated outstanding leadership and innovation. For more information on the 2009 Prometheus Awards and to see the criteria for the 17 award categories, visit www.technologyiowa.org/awards/2009/.  The nomination period ends December 22, 2008.

So, please visit their website to submit your nomination for the 2009 Prometheus Awards. You can also check out @TechnologyIowa on Twitter.

We also want to acknowledge one of our guests favorite sponsors, which is Olde Main Brewery. We reached out to Olde Main through their @OldeMain Twitter account which is ran by Jill Haverkamp.  Jill and the folks at Olde Main have been great to work with and we are glad to work with them again for the Ugly Sweater Party! They will be supplying two kinds of their tasty beer that are brewed locally in Ames, Iowa.  Everyone should stop in at Olde Main when they are in Ames for good eats and great beer.

All of the event info: The Epic Ugly Sweater Party

There is an epic party on the horizon so start digging through your closets. Admission into the party is simple: wear an Ugly Christmas Sweater. It is happening Thursday, December 11th from 6pm – 9pm here at Impromptu Studio.  There is a link at the bottom of the post to RSVP for the party.

We will have Killer Sandwiches from B&B Grocery, beer donated from Olde Main, Live music by Jason Walsmith of The Nadas, and most importantly FUN. We owe the idea to Dallas Moore who is helping us organize and throw what we hope will be a huge bash!

In the spirit of the season we are also asking that people bring donations for the Central Iowa Shelter.  Doug Mitchell and Dan Shipton are helping to put on a New Year’s Eve dinner for the Central Iowa Shelter and will bring the donated items from the party to the shelter.

The list of items to bring for donation to the Central Iowa Shelter:

• Both male and female hygiene items/personal grooming supplies (shampoo, shaving cream, soap, you name it)
• Both male and female clothing
• Detergent
• Blankets
• Socks

Follow @danielshipton and @mrdallasjmoore on Twitter and check out Dallas Moore’s blog to keep up with whats happening and to vote on the beer for the evening. Please use the hashtag #uglysweaterparty when referencing it on Twitter.

We hope to see you and your friends there!