Fun in the Pumpkin Patch at Ardmore Park Place

Pumpkins and October  go hand-in-hand, so I chose "Fun in the Pumpkin Patch" for the theme of October's tea.

I made baskets of caramel corn for each table so attendees could  munch on it while waiting for the tea to start - a fitting "appetizer" [of sorts] since October is National Popcorn Month.

Tablescape

Amber Tiara glass cups and saucers, in the "sandwich" pattern were used for the Sept. thru Nov. teas.  [Tiara glassware was made by Indiana Glass Company 1970-1999.]  Ardmore was only equipped with white mugs, which were unsuitable for tea parties.   I visited several antique stores, and even made a trip to Shipshewana, Indiana in my quest to acquire enough teacups and saucers and amber creamers and sugars for the tablescapes.   I also purchased  black linen napkins, because Ardmore only had burgundy and navy blue napkins.   Were these tea parties supposed to augment my income???  ;-)   No matter, I was having fun!

I purchased small plastic pumpkins for the favors and filled them with black and orange wrapped peanut butter kisses.

The menu was: Pumpkin Spice Black Tea; Cinnamon Scones with Pumpkin Creme; Apple/ Onion Soup with Pumpkin-shaped Cinnamon Croutons; Pasta with Creamy Chicken,  Cranberries and Pumpkin Sauce baked in Pumpkin Shells and topped with Puff Pastry; and for dessert, Pumpkin Roll and Vanilla Ice Cream.   I chose pasta in the menu because October is National Pasta Month.

Cinnamon Scones w/Pumpkin Creme and Apple Onion Soup w/Cinnamon Croutons

Pasta with Creamy Chicken, Cranberries and Pumpkin Sauce served in Pumpkin Shells topped with Puff Pastry

Pumpkin Roll and Vanilla Ice Cream

Guests/Friends at the Tea 

Linda, in the photo below, is the lady who recommended me to Ardmore and suggested I contact them.

I presented a program on Pumpkin Trivia, the History of the Jack-o-Lantern and Victorian Mourning.   Halloween [Honoring the Dead] and Victorian mourning pair well together since the Victorians had  very strict death and mourning etiquette.

Working at Ardmore gave me a new appreciation for tea room owners [not that I didn't appreciate them before], but I quickly realized that establishing and maintaining a tea program is no easy task.  We went from a near sell-out tea in September to ten attendees in October!   Was it the menu?   The price?  [Ardmore charged $29.50 per person, including gratuity.]   An inconvenient date?  The theme?  Fortunately the attendance picked back up in November.

Tea journey continued...