There were sunny smiles—if not sunny skies—at this year’s Garden Party and Fête. Again St Stephen’s provided a bit of Britain to the neighborhood with authentic food, pub offerings, a maypole, and a festive lawn party atmosphere as only the British can provide. Gross receipts totaled over $7,000.
The procession was piped in by the John F. Nicoll Pipe Band and our Master of Ceremonies, Bill Hawkins, kept events moving along during the day.Professor Horn’s Punch & Judy show was kept dry inside the church with children and adults alike enjoying the colorful new stage and puppets created in Europe.
No true British Garden Party could be complete without our many other booths: a jumble table, a Flower stall, a Bake table which sold out completely, books—some real bargains here!—a wine and spirits wheel,
The Barley Mow pub served pub grub and bangers close by. The Daughters of the British Empire brought their ever popular fascinator hats and British knick-knacks to sell.
The reenactment tent displayed uniforms, gear, and a field medical treatment center from WWII. Our court jester was royally costumed this year and thankfully the lord high Gaoler had few subjects in the stocks!
Games, face painting, and races were all part of the children’s activities—our best–attended yet. The younger guests were delighted as they wove colorful ribbons in the maypole dancing.
Parish members and guests alike are always astonished at the transformation of Quimby Hall to a traditional British Tea Room, which served 117 this year. Complete with china tea cups, plates and “teabag” cookies, our teas get more beautiful each year.
Credit for our Facebook publicity goes to Peter Threadgill, whose Garden Party ad posts reached over 15,000 local residents.
The Baltimore Sun provided a colorful photo spread on Page 13 in the May 10th edition of the Towson Times.
We invite your feedback on continuing to make our 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. Those who missed out on the fun of preparation and organization, are invited to join the happy crew next year for camaraderie and fellowship!
—PRISCILLA & RICHARD HUFFMAN
Will St. Stephens be having thier tea this month? I so. when, and is it handicap accessable?
Yes, the Afternoon Tea is on Thursday, 22 June, from 2pm to 3pm. And yes, it is handicap accessable.