Connecting and Sharing

When you think of having a tea party, there are several images that may pop into your mind. One, you might see little girls with pigtails and pretty dresses pretending to have high tea like the Queen of England. Two, you may have visions of 16th century Victorian ladies dressed to the hilt and being served by those less fortunate. Three, and this one really applies if you have been in Boundary County for any length of time, ladies gather together, dress in elegant garb and set out the finest tea settings and just have fun.

Local tea parties started eight years ago with Nancy McGinnis offering a tea for young girls, offering them the opportunity to experience a traditional Victorian Tea Party. Since then, Koinonia Hearts to Hands took over the planning and subsequent enactment of the tea parties here in Boundary County. Eventually, the thought was to invite a few community service groups to attend, and then, at the party, be able to inform others of their valuable services to ladies and the community at large.

Fast-forward to this year, and we have 12 community groups coming together to collaborate their efforts and share what is going on inside their various organizations. A total of 75 ladies were in attendance this year, and the venue was decorated elaborately with the finest china and tea settings that you could imagine. There was even a group of young ladies who volunteered their time to help serve.

The groups involved this year included: Koinonia Hearts to Hands, The Olive Tree, Care ‘n Share, Curly Cues, Kozy Krafters, Domestic Violence Prevention group, Hope House, Helping Hands, 3 Mile Women's Group and a Ladies Coffee group.

Tea time is a time to stop everything and just visit with one another. It's a time to get together and have fun. Each table was decorated to the nines and made to be a masterpiece. All the ladies were dressed in elaborate hats with a flare of elegance. Each group in attendance was given a few minutes to share who they are, what they do and how to contact them.

This event provided the first step to gather information into a directory for serving our community. If you would like your information to be included or you would like to be a part of this event next year, please contact Becca Harlan at 208.267.6869 or email her at becca@answeringspecialist.com. She will be happy to assist you.

Thank you to each of the groups for attending. Special thanks to Veronika Ward for providing joyful entertainment. Special thanks to the Pearl for introducing Heidi Hayworth for our singing entertainment. Special thanks for Linda Elliston for offering room usage to plan this elegant community event. Special thanks to Robert Lavala Studios for providing an excellent photo booth for lovely pictures.

Be sure to get in contact with us and get involved for next year! This is a fun event that spans the generational gap with elegance and ease.

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