It’s that time of the year
Holiday tea sparkles in mansion setting
WESTFIELD — The weather outside was frightful last weekend, but inside the McClurg Mansion the fire was delightful, as were the Christmas decorations and the elegant holiday tea that was open to the public. The event, part of Westfield’s Christmas in the Village, was orchestrated by the Chautauqua County Historical Society as a fundraiser for the organization.
A formally attired John Paul Wolfe, curator of the McClurg Museum, seated the guests. A man deeply interested in history as well as connected to the Westfield area, he tucked a pocket watch his grandfather received from his employer, the Bank of Westfield, in 1943 into one vest pocket. On the other side, an antique gold pocket knife was housed.
“We did well with the event considering the weather,” Wolfe said, referring to the blustery weather outside as well as the more extreme winter weather in other parts of the local area.
Trustee Sharon Howe Sweeting took admission fees and said, “I came in from Cherry Creek and followed a snowplow. I know some people don’t like to follow a plow because it is slow, but I felt safer.”
About 50 people enjoyed a choice of hot tea or lemonade complemented by savory sandwiches, scones with jam and/or Devon cream, and a variety of tempting desserts, all served in style by ladies in black dresses with pretty white aprons.
Cristie Herbst, president of the historical society, was quick to point out, “All desserts were made by members. We have a lot of good bakers.”
Ruthie Meyer, who was seated with Virginia Ditch and Judy Fantauzzi, said “This is beautiful.”
Wolfe reported positive feedback from many who attended. “Quite a few had never been inside (the McClurg Mansion) before. In addition to the positive comments, we got several new memberships. That makes it worth it. Memberships are important to keep the society going.”
Herbst bustled around and took pictures of the event. She pointed out the staging area, where the baked goods were on trays. In a small kitchen area, members worked behind the scenes to wash the beautiful china cups saucers and plate and prepare the food.
Some of the china was lent to the society for the occasion by Sandy Brown of Westfield.
Wolfe summed up the effort. “We are currently growing the event. I expect we will do this again next year at the museum. While weather can always be a problem, I think we can easily double the number of people attending. We are on a learning curve.”