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" All of us who entertain know there is no such thing as a &amp;quot;no-fuss&amp;quot; party, but after years of event planning I have figured out a few ways to streamline the process. With the Fourth of July weekend rapidly approaching and our best intentions to host some sort of celebration for our friends, here are three unique but uncomplicated ways to throw an impressive Independence Day bash.  Post-Fireworks Panache An after-fireworks dessert party allows you to go about your business all day, see the fireworks where and with whom you wish, and end the day with a bang of your own. Create a background for the dessert buffet with crisp white linen, white cake stands, white enamel trays, and white porcelain pitchers. The food will be the red and blue. Place bowls of gorgeous sliced strawberries, plump blueberries, and freshly whipped cream next to platters of homemade sweet biscuits for a &amp;quot;shortcake&amp;quot; bar the way it should be. If you can get blackberries and raspberries\u2014that&amp;#039;s even better. For a really lavish display, include cherry and blueberry pie as well as vanilla ice cream set in an ice well. Serve coffee and prosecco with raspberry syrup and everyone will go to bed happy. Red, White, and Blues Whether inside your living room, out on the deck or in a backyard\u2014this is a simple and memorable party for music lovers and more. Invite guests for the cocktail hour and make it clear that dinner is not on the program. I like scheduling this from five to seven in the evening\u2014it&amp;#039;s still quite light out (with luck you can catch a sunset en masse even if fireworks are not in your area) and guests are still free to have dinner plans (dinner that you are not making). Serve two or three white wines, two or three red wines and five or six easy hors d&amp;#039;oeuvres. The &amp;quot;clever&amp;quot; thematic element is blues music. Program your iPod or stack your CD player with a selection of blues favorites. I am partial to a weird mix of Marianne Faithfull&amp;#039;s 20th Century Blues, B.B. King, Muddy Waters and The Blues Brothers. If you don&amp;#039;t have any blues on hand, try Pandora.com, where you can play any genre of music and drill down to five types of blues or find nearly any blues artists your guests like. Pitch-In Picnic If you feel like hosting but don&amp;#039;t feel like cooking for the masses, here&amp;#039;s the plan for a chic and easy potluck. Pick a scenic location like a lake, beach, or park, and tell guests that they are responsible for one dish and that you will take care of the rest. To prevent any confusion, make the menu parameters then dole out the assignments. Personally, I would suggest a meal more Mediterranean in design over the fried Fourth fare. Grilled eggplant and peppers, hummus, and tabbouleh are all perfect picnic food and it will be a whole lot lighter, healthier and prettier. Pack a bottle of excellent olive oil as both a finishing touch for the veggies and a dip for crusty bread. As for the organizer&amp;#039;s responsibilities, you should bring the tablecloth, beverages, utensils, ice, and garbage bags.  Remember to ask someone to bring a camera and invite another friend to be in charge of activities. Sing-alongs, touch football, beach volleyball, and even an intense game of tag are all viable and keep everyone energized to truly appreciate the meal. Stylish and gracious entertaining with a lot less effort\u2014what could be more American than that?  Marcy Blum, Celebrity Eventiste MarcyBlum.com "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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