Mediaboss Marketing

Hats were donned, tea was poured, glasses clinked and laughter rang out as Barbara Kalberloh hosted afternoon tea Saturday for the first time in two years.

Kalberloh attended a meeting about five years ago at the Greenbrier Hotel, which hosted tea daily. It inspired her to try putting on tea parties of her own.

"I've always loved hats, and I love good china ... and somebody was talking about fundraisers, and I thought, 'What could I do?' And I thought, 'I'm going to have tea parties,'" she said.

That all came to a screeching halt when the COVID-19 pandemic began, but as case numbers abate, the tea parties can resume.

This particular tea party was an auction item at the Power of the Purse, which benefited United Way.

Elizabeth Sheehan bought the item because she thought it would be a fun, unique experience for her family. She brought a daughter, nieces, nephews, sisters-in-law and mother-in-law along.

"As a mom, you don't necessarily get a lot of fun time to dress up or spend one-on-one time with your kiddos, so it's a fun opportunity. Of course, it's nothing we've done before. This is not what you do everyday," she said.

It's not everyday you wear a colorful wide-brimmed hat, either.

Kalberloh displayed her collection of hats and let each guest choose a hat to wear for the afternoon. There were a few that would fit children, too.

Guests sat down to dine on finger sandwiches, chocolate-covered strawberries, cookies, truffles and, of course, tea.

Kalberloh said she started preparing for the party yesterday.

She said she most enjoys "the flair" of putting them on and bringing "all the elegance back" to a casual age.

"And meeting new people ... I like meeting new people, and it's a way for me to give to others too, something different," she said.

Follow this link:
Afternoon tea hosted for Power of the Purse auction winner - Jefferson City News Tribune