2nd Annual Midwest Tea Festival Returns to Kansas City

Event

Attention all ESU Tea Lovers

The Midwest Tea Festival returns to Kansas City for its second annual celebration of tea and tea culture featuring tea tasting, education and vendors on May 7, 2016. 

All ESU Members and Friends of ESU are invited to attend this one-day Festival celebrating everything that tea culture has to offer. 

The Midwest Tea Festival, like other tea festivals across the country, will feature a tea market with local, regional and national tea vendors and tea related arts and other merchandise, educational presentations throughout the day on various tea related topics, focused tasting café sessions with tea merchant experts, and tea tastings all day long. 

The festival is intended to spread the love of tea for health and enjoyment, enhance awareness of cultures in which tea plays a pivotal role and raise the profile of all kinds of tea merchants with Midwestern and specifically Kansas City consumers.

Featured Speakers:

One of several featured speakers is Mr. Bruce Richardson, noted author and tea master of the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum. Mr. Richardson will be speaking on the Five Teas that Launched a Revolution. This may be of particular interest to ESU members in that the topic will cover not only tea as viewed through the lens of the time of the American Revolution but the tea accouterments and customs of King George III and Jane Austen. Another guest speaker is Ms. Shona Patel, author of several fictional novels set in India around the time of the end of the British Raj in the late 1940s. She will discuss her experiences growing up on a tea plantation in Assam, India and the research she put into her books, which included speaking with Assamese tea planters who worked on the plantations in the waning days of the Raj.

When:  Saturday, May 7, 2016, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

Where: Ararat Shrine Auditorium
             5100 Ararat Drive
             Kansas City, Mo.
             Free parking

Click here for map and directions     

Admission: $12.00 at the door includes entrance to vendor area, presentations and tea tastings. Admissions purchased at the door will receive a disposable tasting cup.

Advance Admission: $12.00 plus guaranteed goodie bag with a high quality 3 oz. porcelain

tasting cup. Note: Advance Admission sales will end on May 3. After May 3, all admissions must be purchased at the door on May 7. Click here to purchase advance admissions online.

Discount Admission for ESU Members and Guests: ESU members and their guests may purchase a discounted admission of $10.00 by sending an email to Nicole Burriss at midwestteafest@gmail.com. Indicate the number of admissions you want to purchase and whether you want to pay by credit card or personal check. Nicole will email you back with instructions on how to pay by credit card or where to send a check. A maximum of 10 discounted admissions are available to ESU members and their guests. These admissions must be paid for in advance by credit card or personal check. No discounted admissions are available at the door on May 7. If the 10 discounted tickets have been sold out, Nicole will let you know and you can still purchase regular-priced admissions in advance ($12.00) by clicking here.

Schedule of Events:Click here

Fundraising Raffles: Several fundraising raffles will be held during the day of the Festival. All proceeds will benefit Literacy Kansas City, a local adult literacy program. Click here for more details.

Volunteer Opportunities:  Midwest Tea Fest needs volunteers to help throughout the day.  Partial day or full day volunteer opportunities are available.  Any ESU members who would like to volunteer for this fun Festival will receive free admission and other perks that will make this a memorable day.  Click here for details.

ESU at Midwest Tea Festival: The English-Speaking Union, Kansas City Branch will have an information booth at the Festival and everyone is invited to stop by and learn more about the ESU's upcoming programs and activities for members and guests. 

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