Kansas Snapshots by Gloria Freeland - April 11, 2025

Tea, tarts, and tableware

Thirty-eight years ago, I went on a date that didn't go quite as I had expected. The plan was for a meal followed by a movie. But when the restaurant people alerted us they would be closing soon, we realized the movie's starting time had long passed. I had to get home. Laura, one of the students I knew from work, was babysitting 1-year-old Mariya and would be waiting for my return.

Over the intervening years, Laura and I have occasionally met, always quite by accident, so I'm always surprised when it happens. A few things have changed along the way. My "date" of that night has now been husband Art for almost 37 years, and Mariya is older today than I was when Laura babysat her.

Another of those unexpected meetings occurred last Saturday. More about that later.

Since being retired, I rarely get dressed up. So when I decided to attend the High Tea Bash to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the K-State Gardens, I was at a bit of a loss as to what to wear. I sent photos of four potential outfits to Mariya and younger daughter Katie to see what they might suggest. Three were black pants with colorful tops. The fourth was a flowered dress I had worn to niece Gabriela's wedding almost six years ago. Katie said to go with the dress.

Then I remembered the suggested attire for the evening was "smart casual." I brought out a long dress I had worn to an outdoor wedding last fall and sent a picture to the two girls. Katie said, "Oh yeah, I'd go for that one."

I added a pink sweater and a "bolivianita" necklace sister Gaila had given me. The bolivianita is a special gemstone found only in Bolivia, and I thought it added some "panache" to my outfit.

These two unexpected meetings turned out to be a bit prophetic as the afternoon held another surprise. I had fully expected my attention would be on various matters related to the gardens, but that wasn't so. When I arrived, I was quite impressed to see so many beautiful outfits donned by the guests and organizers. And with all the varieties and colors of hats and "fascinators" - headpieces attached to ribbons or clips - I might well have imagined we were in the United Kingdom at some affair put on by the Royal Family!

I spoke with some women who had organized the event, whose purpose was to raise money and increase awareness of the gardens. Sara Larson, owner of Wild & Blooming, LLC, had spent more than 60 hours fashioning the various balloons that hung from the ceiling and the larger-than-life paper flowers. She was also part of a team that decorated the White House at Christmas.

Each of the 18 tables was set with china, silverware, linens, and centerpieces from individuals who had loaned them for the occasion. Nancy Cole, the coordinator of the event, said she was "absolutely stunned" by the beautiful table settings that were contributed.

Tim has a bed and breakfast where he uses various china sets and he had done four of the tables himself! He invited me to sit next to him at one of them that was decorated with his cream-colored Lenox "Hancock" china with black-and-gold edges and raised dots.

Another had his grandmother McCutcheon's Noritake Pink Azalea china service, produced in Japan about a century ago. The flowers on the china are all hand-painted.

A third table he set with Green Pioneer by Fostoria. "I have a ton of this pattern because both my mom and her mother used it," Tim said. "Mom got her set and melded the two together - which means I have almost every conceivable dish, from shrimp cocktail with matching ice bowls to two sizes of cream soup bowls."

His fourth table setting was Berwyn by Pitcairns Limited, England, manufactured in the Gay '90s. He said it was his mom's favorite because she loved the color green. "... We used it for everyday meals which means several dishes broke, particularly the coffee cup handles. ..." But a chance visit to a Mississippi antique store allowed him to replace the broken pieces.

We did get to try the dinnerware too. First came scones and blueberry muffins. Then there were dainty sandwiches of all kinds - cucumber, egg salad, coronation chicken, ham, and others - served on elegant three-tiered plate stands. They were followed by tiny cheesecake tarts on silver trays and strong, expertly-brewed tea.

In between the courses, Scott McElwain, director of the K-State Gardens, and others spoke briefly about the 150th celebration of the gardens and some of the other activities planned for the year. Throughout the evening, we were treated to harp music.

The beautiful attire, the gorgeous tableware, the music, and the camaraderie of friends - old and new, made the evening special indeed. As a bonus, we each received a matching cup and saucer as a door prize from those Nancy had accumulated over the last six months!

The High Tea Bash - attended by 133 people - was a lovely spring affair. As a former event planner, I could appreciate the meticulous attention to detail required.

And just like that date of so many years ago, the evening unfolded quite differently than I had imagined.