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Tea Time
By Elise McKeown Skolnick
YOUNGSTOWN
A bit of Southern charm found its way to Northeast Ohio in the form of an afternoon tea.
Wintertime Tea: Southern Charm, a fundraiser for the Antonucci Horticulture Library at Fellows Riverside Gardens in Mill Creek MetroParks, included tea, snacks, live music, and entertainment by a Southern belle.
Amy Rowland and her daughter Zoe, 12, of Monaca, Pa., make the hourlong drive every year for the event.
“It’s worth it,” Zoe said.
They attend with Zoe’s grandmother, Norma Rowland of Canfield, and some of her friends.
“It’s a nice time for us to spend with people we don’t get to see all the time,” Amy said.
The event “is wonderful,” she added. “I think it’s impressive that these ladies go through as much hard work as they do. And it’s really different, too, because you get to eat things you don’t normally eat, and it’s a day to actually feel a little more elegant than you do any other day. So it’s nice; that’s why I like to bring my daughter.”
Tables were set with china cups, saucers and tea pots. Tiered cake trays were piled with a variety of pastries and sandwiches.
“It’s a lot of fun, and I love the food,” Zoe said. “Everything tastes wonderful.”
Her favorite food each year is the “little sandwiches.”
“It’s a wonderful, wonderful experience for a young girl,” said Norma Rowland. “It’s grand. It shows the girls what it is like to have a high tea.”
The event Sunday was the 13th annual, said Mandy Smith, horticulture education manager at Mill Creek MetroParks. Capacity is 80 people, and the event sells out every year.
The theme is different each year. To go with this year’s Southern theme, foods such as sweet potato pie and pecan balls were included on the menu. Live guitar music was played as attendees chatted and sipped tea. Beverly Italiano performed as a Southern belle.
“We have regulars [who attend], and then we have some new faces which is pretty exciting,” Smith said. “It’s just another way to get people out here to connect with the gardens and a different way of connecting with plants through food.”
A committee of staff and volunteers planned the event, which raised about $1,000. Books and magazines will be purchased for the library with the money.
The library is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.