ESU KC Members and Guests Celebrate the Queen’s Birthday Tea and 60th Coronation

Event Recap

"I am sure that this, my Coronation, is not the symbol of a power and a splendor that are gone but a declaration of our hopes for the future, and for the years I may, by God's Grace and Mercy, be given to reign and serve you as your Queen". –H.M. Queen Elizabeth II, 2^nd June 1953.

Kansas City ESU members and guests had a wonderful English Afternoon Tea in celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's 87^th birthday and 60^th Coronation.  43 members and guests attended Anna Marie's Teas in Liberty on Saturday, June 15, 2013.  Jeff Schnabel, president of the ESU Kansas City Branch, commented, "This was the largest Queen's Birthday Tea for the Branch in over 15 years and we had over 20 guests who were not familiar with the ESU so we were delighted to tell them about our Branch."

The formal English Afternoon Tea including tea sandwiches, sweets, scones, English curd, Devonshire cream and premium tea. Brenda Hedrick, the owner and proprietor of Anna's Teas proudly proclaims, "This is not just any tea party--our tea experiences are delightfully extravagant!"  

The English Afternoon Tea event was held in the Bohnet House in Liberty, Mo., which is a stately 3-story, 5,000 square foot home built in 1913.The house boasts Frank Lloyd Wright details--oak trim, 3 fireplaces and large open spaces. Its large wraparound porch and period American, French and English antique furnishings create the perfect setting for tea parties--served on a special collection of china, silver and glass dishes.

The Champagne toasts began with the traditional toast to the U.S. President given by past ESU president, Dr. Mel Henderson, followed by Schnabel's toast to the Queen.  He also announced two big ESU events to the audience—the first is the ESU Annual Shakespeare Festival Group Night on Monday, July 1, 2013 and invited all guests to join the ESU group.  Then, the guest speaker, Martin Bell, distinguished British journalist, author and TV anchor from the U.K., will be hosted by the Kansas City Branch in November as part of the Evelyn Wrench Lecture Series.  All guests were invited and encouraged to attend this free lecture.

With the expecting Duchess of Cambridge due in July, the Branch had a "Royal Baby Guessing Game" for members and guests to guess the birth date, time of day, gender, length and weight of the Royal baby.  The winner coming closest to all the vitals will receive a fine bone china mug celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee donated by Brits of Lawrence, Ks.  The mug has a retail value of $50.

At the conclusion of the Tea, Branch Treasurer, Deborah McArdle, presented a trivia quiz to members and guests.  Quiz questions ranged from the Coronation to the Queen's many interests.  Numerous door prizes were given out by a random drawing at the conclusion of the Tea.  Many guests commented they had a delightful afternoon and were looking forward to attending next year.  See Photo Gallery for a slide show of photos from the Kansas City Branch Queen's Tea. Click Here

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