A beautiful day suddenly appearing in a week of turbulent weather? Rain showers that held off until exactly 4:05 PM? Surely, this was divine intervention! Once again this year, the sun shone on St. Stephen’s Garden Party, providing a little bit of Britain to guests who enjoyed the authentic food, pub offerings, maypole, and a festive atmosphere as only the British can provide.
Our Master of Ceremonies, Bill Hawkins, kept events moving along. After the piping in of our Rector, Fr. Guy Hawtin, and His Majesty King Henry VIII, (followed, of course, by our court jester!) guests were included in the maypole and English country dances guided by the Baltimore Folk Music Society. The Camerata Musica singers added a festive note in their Renaissance costumes, and the John F. Nicoll Pipe Band, always a favorite, offered familiar and traditional pipe band airs.
A highlight of the day, something new to the Garden Party, was Professor Horn’s Punch & Judy show, with authentic puppets and stage. A long-standing tradition in the British Isles, Punch & Judy puppetry delights both children and adults, as was evident by our audience reactions. We hope Punch & Judy will become a regular offering at our fête.
No true British Garden Party could be complete without our many other booths: a “jumble” table, Arts & Crafts, flowers and herbs, a bake table, books—some real bargains here!—and a wine wheel, all set off with attractive signage. Thankfully, the lord high Gaoler had few subjects in the stocks! Between the bouncing castle, children’s races, face painting, and games, our largest contingent of children yet was royally entertained.
Guests were astonished at the transformation of Quimby Hall into a traditional British Afternoon tea room, complete with china tea cups and plates. Each year, our tea room gets more beautiful.
The Garden Party was spearheaded by a planning committee: Cindie Baker, Bill and Annie Hawkins, Priscilla and Dick Huffman, Happy Riley, Don Ruthig; and an operations group: Rosa Halbert, Colby Hawks, Martha Miller, and Priscilla Huffman. Many, many others in our congregation contributed hours of their time in planning, preparation, set up, and clean up.
Be sure to save your Garden Party brochure. Not only are there Peter Threadgill’s amusing write-ups, but this year three special prayers were included on page 14.
We invite your feedback on continuing to make the Garden Party a successful event. Please e-mail any ideas or comments to Priscilla Huffman at priscillahuffman@verizon.net.
Again, thanks for the extraordinary efforts on the part of our many volunteers. For those who missed out on the fun of preparation and organization, you are invited to join the happy crew next year for camaraderie and fellowship.
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