Part 1 - Recap
We gathered in the lovely Community Hall at Hinson Memorial Baptist Church for our 2026 Spring Tea.
Thank you to Elaine Johnson for booking this lovely venue and assisted with hosting! She really was our girl Friday and wore many hats throughout the event always helping however she could--setting up the tea/friendship sale, overseeing the buffet tables, shuttling carts up/down the elevator, and was the go-to person for early and late arrivals. Whatever had to be done, Elaine was there to graciously do it!
Elaine's husband, Larry Johnson was indispensable. He greeted attendees as they entered the building, helped our region with loading carts, and directed everyone to the elevator.
Thank you also to Hinson Memorial Baptist Church for accommodating our region and setting up the tables for us. As a result, we had a beautiful venue with a delicious potluck, a spacious friendship sale, silent auction, a theatrical reading, and a costume commentary.
Regional Coordinator, Vonnie Alto, organized the event with the elegant theme of lavender, white, and gold. The buffet and dining tables were adorned with lavender tablecloths, gold flatware, gold sparkling cups, and lavender floral napkins with butterflies.
Vonnie also created the table centerpieces of fuchsia and pink peony flowers with white lighted lanterns.
Elaine brought hand picked snow blossom flowers from her garden and arranged them into vases which graced the gold lighted wall display as did the white lighted lanterns.
Linda Olson and Joann Graham organized and maintained the buffet tables.
Lauri Conway provided the punch bowel and Linda also made the lemonade.
Our Secretary, Karen Kinzey greeted attendees and took registration. Our Treasurer, Margaret Christmann collected payments for the friendship sale and silent auction.
Also, thank you to the many volunteers who assisted with the donations storage, set up, and Friendship Sale.
New this year was the Friendship Sale of 3+ estates: Susan Schwartz, Kim Higgins, and Bill Boyd with Regency era and historical related items including books (fiction and nonfiction), art, jewelry, porcelain, teapots, decorative plates, crafts, ribbons, party supplies, textiles, Regency era costumes, and more. We all had a great time shopping the Friendship Sale: 1) Select your purchases, 2) Pay what you can afford, 3) Be Fair, and 4) Have fun.
The Silent Auction had a similar premise with no starting bid! The lavender dress donated by Kim Higgin's was a hot item and quickly found a bidder as did the Jane Austen illustration of Northanger Abbey.
Another hot item was a signed copy of the newly released 250th Anniversary edition of Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen with an Introduction by Caroline Jane Knight (great-niece of Jane Austen), donated by member Kathleen Jones from the 2026 Baltimore AGM.
Other silent auction items of note were a pink sugar and creamer set, a blue willow teapot and teacup set, a Jane Austen charm bracelet from the 1995 BBC television mini-series, a hardback copy of The Complete Novels of Jane Austen in one volume, and a framed Northanger Abbey poster by Jan Koot -- highly collectible as the the poster was distributed at the Portland 2010 AGM.
Our guest author was once again, Collins Hemingway who brought his books for sale: The Trilogy of the Marriage of Miss Austen and his nonfiction book: Jane Austen and the Creation of Modern Fiction: Six Novels in "A Style Entirely New." He also brought his new release, Running Against the Wind: A Black Arkansan's Pursuit of his Dreams.
Gresham Readers Theatre both wrote and performed the two one act plays of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey and Persuasion especially for our region! Each reading was cleverly adapted and directed by Melissa Standley and read by the play readers in 15 minute segments from beginning to end in full Regency costume.
We were all mesmerized by the theatrical reading transported us back into the Regency Era.
Gresham Reader's Theatre noted that Northanger Abbey is a coming-of-age satire following Catherine Morland, a naive, imaginative teenager who travels to Bath and Northanger Abbey. Influenced by Gothic novels, she misinterprets real life as sinister drama. Catherine learns to distinguish fiction from reality, finds love, and matures after facing social deception.
Grehsam Reader's Theatre described Persuasion is a poignant novel about second chances, following 27-year-old Anne Elliot, who years earlier was persuaded by a family friend to break her engagement to a poor naval officer. When he returns wealthy and successful, Anne must navigate her enduring love, regret, and societal pressures.
A costume commentary followed given by costume historian Laura Streeter who both designed and built the costumes. Laura presented on women's fashion in the Regency Era. Her husband, artistic producing director, Michael Streeter presented on men's fashion and critiqued the costumes worn by the male play readers. We found it insightful to hear the male perspective on men's fashion in the Regency era and the constrictions of wearing such garments. Another high point occurred when the costumed female play readers left the stage and walked through the the audience modelling their historic footwear.
Thank you to the play readers of the Gresham Readers Theatre for a stellar reading! And thank you to both Laura and Michael Streeter for an insightful and audience engaging costume commentary!
Many thanks also to Dayle Olson, Tricia Kasch, and Vonnie Alto for providing photos of our Spring Tea.
Additional haut ton fashion graced the tea with men's top hats and women's bonnets and lovely gowns. Photos followed with many of us choosing a photo op in front of the lighted gold wall display.
Afterwards, attendees pitched in for clean up and boxed the supplies and remaining items from the Friendship Sale.
A lovely time for us all!
We gathered in the lovely Community Hall at Hinson Memorial Baptist Church for our 2026 Spring Tea.
Thank you to Elaine Johnson for booking this lovely venue and assisted with hosting! She really was our girl Friday and wore many hats throughout the event always helping however she could--setting up the tea/friendship sale, overseeing the buffet tables, shuttling carts up/down the elevator, and was the go-to person for early and late arrivals. Whatever had to be done, Elaine was there to graciously do it!
Elaine's husband, Larry Johnson was indispensable. He greeted attendees as they entered the building, helped our region with loading carts, and directed everyone to the elevator.
Thank you also to Hinson Memorial Baptist Church for accommodating our region and setting up the tables for us. As a result, we had a beautiful venue with a delicious potluck, a spacious friendship sale, silent auction, a theatrical reading, and a costume commentary.
Regional Coordinator, Vonnie Alto, organized the event with the elegant theme of lavender, white, and gold. The buffet and dining tables were adorned with lavender tablecloths, gold flatware, gold sparkling cups, and lavender floral napkins with butterflies.
Vonnie also created the table centerpieces of fuchsia and pink peony flowers with white lighted lanterns.
Elaine brought hand picked snow blossom flowers from her garden and arranged them into vases which graced the gold lighted wall display as did the white lighted lanterns.
Linda Olson and Joann Graham organized and maintained the buffet tables.
Lauri Conway provided the punch bowel and Linda also made the lemonade.
Our Secretary, Karen Kinzey greeted attendees and took registration. Our Treasurer, Margaret Christmann collected payments for the friendship sale and silent auction.
Also, thank you to the many volunteers who assisted with the donations storage, set up, and Friendship Sale.
New this year was the Friendship Sale of 3+ estates: Susan Schwartz, Kim Higgins, and Bill Boyd with Regency era and historical related items including books (fiction and nonfiction), art, jewelry, porcelain, teapots, decorative plates, crafts, ribbons, party supplies, textiles, Regency era costumes, and more. We all had a great time shopping the Friendship Sale: 1) Select your purchases, 2) Pay what you can afford, 3) Be Fair, and 4) Have fun.
The Silent Auction had a similar premise with no starting bid! The lavender dress donated by Kim Higgin's was a hot item and quickly found a bidder as did the Jane Austen illustration of Northanger Abbey.
Another hot item was a signed copy of the newly released 250th Anniversary edition of Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen with an Introduction by Caroline Jane Knight (great-niece of Jane Austen), donated by member Kathleen Jones from the 2026 Baltimore AGM.
Other silent auction items of note were a pink sugar and creamer set, a blue willow teapot and teacup set, a Jane Austen charm bracelet from the 1995 BBC television mini-series, a hardback copy of The Complete Novels of Jane Austen in one volume, and a framed Northanger Abbey poster by Jan Koot -- highly collectible as the the poster was distributed at the Portland 2010 AGM.
Our guest author was once again, Collins Hemingway who brought his books for sale: The Trilogy of the Marriage of Miss Austen and his nonfiction book: Jane Austen and the Creation of Modern Fiction: Six Novels in "A Style Entirely New." He also brought his new release, Running Against the Wind: A Black Arkansan's Pursuit of his Dreams.
Gresham Readers Theatre both wrote and performed the two one act plays of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey and Persuasion especially for our region! Each reading was cleverly adapted and directed by Melissa Standley and read by the play readers in 15 minute segments from beginning to end in full Regency costume.
We were all mesmerized by the theatrical reading transported us back into the Regency Era.
Gresham Reader's Theatre noted that Northanger Abbey is a coming-of-age satire following Catherine Morland, a naive, imaginative teenager who travels to Bath and Northanger Abbey. Influenced by Gothic novels, she misinterprets real life as sinister drama. Catherine learns to distinguish fiction from reality, finds love, and matures after facing social deception.
Grehsam Reader's Theatre described Persuasion is a poignant novel about second chances, following 27-year-old Anne Elliot, who years earlier was persuaded by a family friend to break her engagement to a poor naval officer. When he returns wealthy and successful, Anne must navigate her enduring love, regret, and societal pressures.
A costume commentary followed given by costume historian Laura Streeter who both designed and built the costumes. Laura presented on women's fashion in the Regency Era. Her husband, artistic producing director, Michael Streeter presented on men's fashion and critiqued the costumes worn by the male play readers. We found it insightful to hear the male perspective on men's fashion in the Regency era and the constrictions of wearing such garments. Another high point occurred when the costumed female play readers left the stage and walked through the the audience modelling their historic footwear.
Thank you to the play readers of the Gresham Readers Theatre for a stellar reading! And thank you to both Laura and Michael Streeter for an insightful and audience engaging costume commentary!
Many thanks also to Dayle Olson, Tricia Kasch, and Vonnie Alto for providing photos of our Spring Tea.
Additional haut ton fashion graced the tea with men's top hats and women's bonnets and lovely gowns. Photos followed with many of us choosing a photo op in front of the lighted gold wall display.
Afterwards, attendees pitched in for clean up and boxed the supplies and remaining items from the Friendship Sale.
A lovely time for us all!