If you thought you missed your favorite tea party in January at the Baugh House, fear not! The event has been moved to February, this year on Saturday , the 14th, from 10:00 to 2:00. The dining room at the Victorian farmhouse will transform into a mini-Harrods of London, famous for its High Tea celebrations. Host Bonnie Botham will welcome guests with several choices of teas and a regular smorgasbord of delectable pastries and sandwiches at two tea seatings, one at 11:00 and the other at 1:00. Sandwiched in between those seatings is the popular historical fashions show at noon.
As one of the Society’s three main fund raisers of the year, joining the May Festival and Apple Cider Day, this is a ticketed event. Tickets can be purchased either on the WRHS website at wheatridgehistorical.org (on the Donations page) or in person at the Historical Park’s Red Brick House Fridays between 10:00 and 3:00.
The Tea Party date is not the only change in Second Saturday offerings the public will see this year. Historical Society board members were busy throughout the second half of last year reorganizing the group’s monthly offerings. The Second Saturday format will still be used, but the events committee took a long look at what worked and brought people to the Historical Park or the Baugh House and, in turn, sent them home satisfied with a better understanding of local history.
Some Saturday events like September’s Dogs on Pawrade, though hilarious and a fun way to spend time with beloved pooches, just never drew the kind of crowds organizers hoped to see. Long-standing events at the Historical Park, like the May Festival, autumn’s Apple Cider Day and July’s member recognition and community potluck picnic, will be around long after most of us are gone. (In fact, a committee is looking into purchasing yet another apple press to accommodate the ever-expanding numbers who line up to press apples.)
One activity visitors are bound to see more of as we celebrate our state’s Sesquicentennial this year is music. Since caroling around the piano at December’s Holiday Celebration is so popular, the Society will organize three other storytelling and song fests, or “Hootenannies”. The term hootenanny, defined as an informal gathering with music, stories and sometimes dancing, originated in 1920s America and saw a rise in popularity in the 1960s, due in part to the music-oriented television show by that name. Members and friends are invited to bring their voices and/or instruments and join in the fun of singing old standards.
Other Second Saturday Social changes will feature a Yard Sale in September with special hours for early morning shoppers, 7:00 a.m. at the Baugh House. Lastly, the August heritage event that was always in competition with the Carnation Days parade will be dropped as the Society works to get more exposure with a float in the parade and a booth at the festival.
More information for all the events is available on the Events page at wheatridgehistorical.org.
