March 12 will be a nice day for a white wedding at Solitude Links Golf Course and Banquet Center, as bridal gowns dating back to 1830 will be displayed for the Richmond Area Historical and Genealogical Society’s historic tea fundraiser.
The Richmond Area Historical and Genealogical Society (RAHGS) eighth annual historic tea will be held from 2-4 p.m., although doors will open at 1 p.m. for table viewing. Solitude Links Golf Course and Banquet Center was formerly known as Fore Lakes. It is located at 5810 Flinchbaugh Road in Kimball Township.
“It is a traditional, historic tea, and the program follows along the lines of history as well with the history of wedding gowns,” RAHGS Past President and Tea Committee Co-Chair Christine Rowley said.
Primary entertainment at this year’s tea will be a program on Wedding Gowns Through the Ages presented by historical seamstress Beth Turza. Turza’s wedding gown collection features gowns from 1830 to 1947.
Rowley said that Turza will bring about seven gowns and accessories for her presentation. RAHGS also plans to display the vintage wedding gowns of three local residents. Nadine Ballard’s dress is from 1952, Virginia Foster’s dress is from 1957 and Susan Foster’s dress is from 1963. Susan Foster’s dress has the distinction of interesting fabric. It was made from the cloth of a silk parachute her father Don Keech obtained from Japan during World War II and was preserved in a mason jar until the dress could be made from it.
Tickets to the historic tea fundraiser are sold in advance only at a cost of $45 per ticket. Tickets can be obtained by contacting either 810-392-0261 or 810-305-6338 via phone. Via email, tickets can be obtained by contacting [email protected] or [email protected].
Funds raised from the tea event will assist the society in maintaining the Richmond Historic Village, located in a section of Richmond’s Bailey Memorial Park.
“Tea money will go into the general fund, but we have many projects coming up. One is restoring a windmill. There is restoration of the windmill, and we have plans to build a filing station and to build a shed to hold farm implements,” Rowley said.
Rowley said that the tea event is designed primarily for adults, although a few women bring children with them. Dining will consist of traditional tea including historic recipes served at themed tables. Caffeine tea from Harney and Sons in the Paris flavor will be served.
“This is our signature tea. We had it the first year and women have asked for it every year since,” Rowley said.
Dining will consist of petite sandwiches and scones. A cash bar will also be available at the event.
“Scones we get from Our Daily Bread bakery in Richmond, and then Solitude Links makes traditional tea sandwiches,” Rowley said.
RAHGS members Rowley, Mary Ellen Shepherd-Logan and Marsha Phillips will bake dessert cookies of lavender shortbread, madeleine and lemon curd thumbprint.
The event will also feature a hat contest. Those who attend the tea are encouraged to wear a hat, and period-style dress is encouraged but not required. Prizes will be awarded for the most unique hat, the most colorful hat and the most vintage hat.
“We have secret judges that work the room and assess them,” Rowley said. “At the end of the tea we award prizes to the hats in the categories.”
The tea further features a raffle and silent auction. The silent auction will feature the prize of a four-night cabin getaway on Snyder Lake near Lewiston. Rowley said that this prize was donated by herself and her husband Tom Hebel.
Raffle tickets will be sold at the event for $1 for one ticket, $5 for five tickets and $10 for 15 tickets. The raffle drawing will feature the prizes of specialty gift baskets. Rowley said that there will be about 17 items to choose from.
“One is an American Girl doll with a hand crocheted wedding gown. One is Ukrainian decorated eggs. One will be a handmade quilt, one will be lottery tickets,” Rowley said.
This year marks the return of the RAHGS tea fundraiser, as it has not been held for two years due to COVID-19 and related restrictions. RAHGS Board Member Richard Weinert said that men of the society are also holding an informal event on March 12, at the historic village. It requires no admission beyond freewill donations, and is designed for limited attendance, primarily as a men’s accompaniment to the women’s tea event.
“We have more of an unofficial event,” Weinert said. “It started when the tea started, for something for the men to do while the women are at the tea, men and husbands and significant others that helped them carry in stuff and set up tables and stuff. We decided to do a fun thing, to offer a little wiener roast.”
The plan is to grill outdoors and then move indoors within the village, with potentially a building tour, according to Weinert. A presentation about World War I could also be part of the informal event, Weinert said.
Nicole Tuttle is a freelance reporter for The Voice.