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A Sidney resident is inviting the public to help mark the platinum jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II with a tea party at Saanich Peninsula Presbyterian Church in the 9200-block of East Saanich on June 4 at 3 p.m.

Im from England and England and the Queen means a lot to me, said Janet Smith, who is organizing the event. Whereas the United Kingdom is marking the Queens 70th anniversary on the British throne with close to 1,500 public events and almost 1,800 private events between June 2 and 5, Smith said she has heard little about events in Canada.

Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-reigning British monarch on Sept. 9, 2015, when she surpassed the reign of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria (who had ruled for 63 years and 216 days) and currently holds the distinction of being the longest-reigning living monarch after she had succeeded her father King George VI following his death on Feb. 6, 1952. Louis XIV still holds the all-time record for the longest verified reign with 72 years and 110 days.

Given the size and scope of celebrations in the United Kingdom, Smith said she thought she should give the occasion some local recognition.

Smith, who was born in the Leicestershire region of the United Kingdom but also lived for a long time in Kent before emigrating to Canada in 1971 when she married, said the party is open to anyone and everyone. The suggested dress code for the occasion is red, white and blue and Smith is asking attendees to bring a British party dish.

We are just stepping out and hoping that things will work out and that we will have a good afternoon, she said. We bought some flags, some balloons, some bunting and we got table cloths. So we want to decorate it with a Union Jack and we actually got a cut-out of the Queen herself.

Currently scheduled for the parking lot, it will move indoors in case of rain.

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Smith said she is not sure why the Queens platinum jubilee is not getting much attention in Canada from her perspective.

I find it very disappointing because she is a very important person and 70 years (on the British throne) is quite an achievement. Its something to celebrate. But I see or hear nothing in Canada and I feel its a very sad thing that we are not celebrating. She is our queen.

The upcoming celebrations coincide with questions about the health of the monarch, who celebrated her 96th birthday in April, as well as the British monarchy itself. While Queen Elizabeth II enjoys high personal approval in the United Kingdom, the institution faces ongoing questions about its legitimacy, costs and relevancy.

Barbados became the latest Commonwealth country in late 2021 to drop the Queen as monarch in cutting its last colonial ties, leaving just 15 former colonies, including Canada, with the reigning UK monarch as official head of state.

Recent polls have also shown growing support for Canadas conversion from a constitutional monarchy to a republic with a non-royal figure as head of state.

Smith finds this development very disappointing. Its the historical aspect that I like (about the monarchy), she said, pointing to the longevity of the institution and the respect it has generated. Canada, she acknowledged, would not lose much by being indifferent to the monarchy or even dropping it. It would become much more like the U.S., she said. There is some dignity and pride in having the Queen (or any future monarch) as head of state.

Many Sidney residents likely share that perspective. According to the 2016 census, 5,205 of Sidneys then 11,125 residents claimed English as their ethnic origin and 1,160 residents around 10 per cent identified the United Kingdom as their place of birth.

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wolfgang.depner@peninsulanewsreview.com

Saanich PeninsulaUnited Kingdom

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Sidney resident invites others to join her in celebrating the reign of Queen Elizabeth II Sooke News Mirror - Sooke News Mirror

WORKINGTON town council are extending invites to promote your own business and produce at the upcomingQueen's platinum jubilee tea party.

The tea party is due to take place on Saturday June 4 at Vulcan Park, from10am-4pm.

The council said: "The aim of the event is to bring the community together to celebrate the Queen's platinum jubilee."

They encourage everyone to bring their own afternoon tea to the park, and they will provide the entertainment. HMV hashelped with the stage programming and a line-up has been confirmed for the event.The council have told people to "get ready to boogie."

The council have invited people to book their own stall at the event.

They'reasking for charities and peoplewho sell food anddrink, homewares and gifts to make the most of this business opportunity.

To get involved, get in touch at:

office@workingtontowncouncil.gov.uk or call 01900 702986.

Read more:Carlisle Castle to be lit up for Platinum Jubilee

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Get involved with your own jubilee stall at Vulcan Park | Times and Star - Times & Star

ArtPlays tea party is an opportunity for families to come together, celebrate spring with music and snacks, and enjoy fun activities including story time by characters from Alices Adventures in Wonderland.

Enjoy the true spirit of spring with the ArtPlay Family Day Tea Party from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, April 30, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

The party, at the historic ArtPlay House, will feature a variety of fun activities for families, including games in the garden, colorful art projects and story time.

Characters from the book Alices Adventures in Wonderland will read excerpts from the classic by Lewis Carroll. ArtPlay teaching artists will lead a variety of Wonderland-inspired activities, including a dance party and art projects that will make a Cheshire Cat grin. Snacks fit for a tea party will be served, along with fun music provided by local musicians and ArtPlay teaching artists.

The event is free and open to public; visit https://www.alysstephens.org/events/artplay-tea-party/.

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ArtPlay Family Day Tea Party is April 30 - University of Alabama at Birmingham

Monday marked a new milestone for The Ivy: An English Bed and Breakfast in downtown Warrenton as a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrated the upcoming launch of the English Tea Club on Easter Sunday.

Mike and Karen Kelley have operated The Ivy since August 2019, extending Warren County hospitality with an English flair to their guests.

Now, the Kelleys offer another opportunity for people from Warren County and beyond to experience The Ivys hospitality, and a proper tea, with the English Tea Club.

The club will launch with a special event from 2:30-4:30 p.m. on Easter Sunday, April 17, and will feature music and samples of the foods served during afternoon tea.

There are a few spaces available for Sundays tea. Registration is $10 per person and may be completed by visiting The Ivys website at theivybandb.com/teaclub. The deadline to register is Friday, April 15. Those who attend the launch will automatically become members of the English Tea Club.

However, those who are unable to attend Sundays launch may still become members of the English Tea Club by registering on the Ivys website. The annual membership fee is $10 per person.

Teas will be planned with monthly themes, including the Mad Hatters Tea Party in May, a celebration of Queen Elizabeths Platinum Jubilee in June, and the Boston Tea Party in July. Members will have an opportunity to reflect the monthly theme in their attire. The Platinum Jubilee will be formal.

English Tea Club members may also host private tea parties for six to 10 people.

Teas will be held on the porch or inside, depending upon the weather.

The Ivy: An English Bed and Breakfast is located at 331 N. Main St., Warrenton. For more information about the English Tea Club, visit The Ivys Facebook page. To register, visit theivybandb.com/teaclub.

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Bed and Breakfast prepares to launch the English Tea Club - warrenrecord.com

Wake Forest University associate professor of history Robert Hellyers book talk marks the first in person talk for the Shinso Ito Center for Japanese Religious and Culture since the pandemic. (Polina Past | Daily Trojan)

Robert Hellyer, author and associate professor of history at Wake Forest University, discussed his new book Green with Milk and Sugar: When Japan Filled Americas Tea Cups at Doheny Memorial Library Monday. Hellyers book navigates a dedicated history to green tea and provides a personal narration of his familys tea-processing factories.

The event, co-sponsored by USC Libraries, the USC Department of History and green tea company ITO EN North America marks the first in-person talk for the Shinso Ito Center for Japanese Religions and Culture since March 2020.

Hellyer, whose family shares a personal relationship with tea through their tea processing factories in the Japanese port cities of Shizuoka and Kobe, said his maternal grandmother reserved green tea for guests and coffee for Hellyer because green tea was a sophisticated, elevated beverage.

As my grandmother and I sat on lawn chairs savoring the aroma of freshly cut grass, she often talked of her time in Japan in the early 1930s as the wife of a tea merchant, wrote Hellyer in his book. Much of what propelled me to write this book was a desire to delve beyond the anecdotes from those summer days and to learn more about the worlds of my grandmothers.

Tea classifications, Hellyer said, can be discerned by oxidation levels and is categorized as green tea subcategorized into sencha, bancha and matcha oolong tea and black tea, the latter the most oxidized of the teas. Hellyer said there is a presupposition that America has no standard tea conduct, but green tea was at the center of it.

Many American families, particularly young girls, will be encouraged to have a tea set or have tea time, but we dont have coffee time in the same way, Hellyer said. Starbucks has its own nice, everyday elegance, but its not the sophistication.

Tea consumption patterns in the 1850s demonstrated that American consumers and even former United States presidents continued to drink green tea following the Boston Tea Party and the American Revolution, Hellyer said. Sentiment for green tea didnt wane until the postwar era, when anti-Japanese and anti-Chinese views spawned from propaganda.

While Britons preferred black teas, after 1800, in the United States, green tea came to hold an aura of sophistication and was more widely consumed, Hellyer said. Green tea was sold at higher prices than black tea.

Indian Ceylon, a competitor to Japan Tea the first national brand of green tea in the U.S. sought to sell its black tea to the U.S. market following a successful introduction into British society. Indian Ceylon altered Americans tastes from green to black teas with a strategy that involved negative advertising with racist overtones presenting both Japanese and Chinese green teas as dirty, dangerous and fraudulent, Hellyer said.

These advertisements had some impact in reducing American consumption of Japanese green tea but not immediately, Hellyer said. Thats because the war disrupted Indian Ceylon exports, so Japan was able to export more tea to Britain and other European markets.

In bolstering black teas reputation, Indian Ceylon contended that their tea was better quality because it was picked and refined by white individuals, which had long-term impacts on American consumption of Japanese green tea, Hellyer said.

Rebecca Corbett, co-head of the East Asian Library, associate University librarian and moderator of the event, said that, amid rising anti-Asian hate regarding coronavirus origins, conversations about historical instances of anti-Japanese and anti-Chinese perception that parallel modern trends are crucial to observing positive examples of interaction between North America and Asian countries.

A lot of Japanese Americans found it difficult, initially, to live in America and to not have that negative associations because of their heritage, Corbett said. We are looking at the economic and cultural history of tea as a product in America the popularity of it over time and peoples image of Japan and how that can be bound up in Japan as a branding symbol.

Lindsay O Neill, who attended the lecture with students from her General Education Seminar in Social Analysis: Drunk History, or How Beverages Changed the World class, said beverages can tell a significant story about Westward expansion and colonization facilitated by corporations.

Its a smaller way to look at these long term changes, said ONeill, an associate professor of history at the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Hopefully, it makes people think, and USC students think more critically about whats on their plate.

Issay Matsumoto, who asked a question about advertisements role of promoting sencha as a health product to stimulate export numbers, said he attended the talk because of his intrigue with tea, which stems from his desire to learn about Japanese products influence in Asian markets.

Depending on the geopolitics of the time, tea can be culturally valued or devalued depending on its origin, Matsumoto said. From the experience, Matsumoto drew takeaways about consumption and production patterns across waters from Hellyers research and personal anecdotes.

You can tell histories close to you because the speakers own family history is linked to this. So, you can tell stories about your own family in really big, interesting ways, Matsumoto said.

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Guest author talks history of green tea - Daily Trojan Online