To the editor:

Thank you to all who attended the 22nd annual Victorian Tea at the Brown County Art Gallery on Sunday, April 10. This event benefits the Gallery Foundation, and your support is greatly appreciated.

This was the first tea we have had in our beautifully expanded gallery, and it was perfect for our fun “Afternoon with James Whitcomb Riley,” portrayed by actor Jeff Kuehl, who is the official JWR for the Riley Festival, as well as the regional services director for the Columbus Area Arts Council.

Thank you to our tea sponsors: Hotel Nashville; Sweetea’s; Seward Party Rentals; Zieg, LeDoux and Associates and The Candy Emporium; to my Tea Committee: Elizabeth Domont, Brenda Kelley, Erika Rudd, Paula Sexton and Donna Tackett; and to our Gallery Manager Jeanne Bennett and assistant Bern Waldhier.

Thank you to local artisans who sold their wonderful items and donated a portion to the Gallery Foundation: Sleepy Cat Studio (Monique Cagle), R Time Art (Lyn Bryan, Susan Threehawks and Charmaine Hedrick), Julea’s Botanica (Julie Flaherty) and gallery Artist Association member Susan Byerly.

A special thanks to Artist Association member Jodie Friend who again generously donated one of her beautiful paintings for our raffle, as well as mini-paintings depicting various Riley poems for each guest at our Riley Table.

Thanks to our other raffle donors: The Candy Emporium, Donna Tackett, Riley Home, Georgia Dillberger and Shirley Amond.

Kevin Ault of Hotel Nashville did a fantastic job of catering our tea again this year. He always makes things so easy — and more importantly, delicious! Café Batar of Seymour designed and baked our special JWR cookie favors, and thank you to Bear Hardware for supplying plants for our entry display.

Gallery Artist Association President Wayne Campbell and member Rhonda Bontrager were doing charcoal sketches of tea patrons, and a big thanks to them.

In addition, thank you to all our volunteers without whom the tea would not be possible: Pam Campbell; Pam Crawford; Lauren and Stephanie Hunt; Rick Kelley; Leo Miller and Lyn Letsinger-Miller; Jan Percifield; Linda Ault-Potter; Thom, Pat and Alex Robinson; Sharon Steiner; Bud Tackett and Ruth Tomes.

Thank you one and all for everything you have done to make our fundraiser a success.

Mark your calendar to attend next year on April 9. We will be having Debra Slone as “Thoroughly Modern Addie,” a suffragette who will tell us about issues of the time. Be sure to join us for another great afternoon, as well as our first Christmas Tea and Bazaar coming up Saturday, Dec. 3.

Cheryl J. Eyed, Victorian Tea chairman

 

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