Fundraiser for Platte City Friends of the Arts
More than 150 attendees sipped specialty tea and munched a lunch of hors d’oeuvres from fine china amid the aroma of bursting blooms Sunday, April 24.
The group gathered for a fundraiser for Platte City Friends of the Arts at the historic Eighteen Ninety, an events center featuring an historic Victorian home, located in Tracy.
The sixth annual event was titled “Petals In My Tea.” Volunteers decorated 18 tables where guests were seated, each featuring a different live floral arrangement.
Guests started by registering, then perused silent auction gift items located in the historic home. They proceeded outside where two historic cars were parked in the home’s carport for viewing and selfies.
Tea samples from Adventures with Tea of Platte County were available and tea was available for purchase. The company also supplied freshly brewed tea for each table, debuting a new flavor, berries, and bloom white tea. Attendees also could create a make-and-take featuring potted plants in teacups.
A buffet line included finger foods by Brancatos Catering & Events. Sherry Wininhofer made rose petal shortbread cookies. Live entertainment included performances by three singers: Jim Edwards of Platte County, also the director of the Platte City Community Band; Linda Burgess, of Kansas City, and Sheri Reineke, of Platte County. Six members of the Beatniks Dance Studio of Platte City performed while eight members functioned as volunteers.
Susan Anderson of Platte County, past president and scholarship and visual arts chair, said the group is considering the event a success, although they were unsure at press time if they had met their fundraising goal.
“We’re getting lots of compliments,” she said during a Monday afternoon telephone interview.
Next year’s theme is “A Fairy Tale Tea,” in which each volunteer table hosts will decorate based on a classic fairy tale of their choice. Several hosts already had reserved their favorite fairy tale, she said.
This year’s tea was a comeback following two years of special protocol due to COVID, which included canceling the event during the initial outbreak and last year’s modification, in which some activities were virtual with hosts sponsoring smaller groups in their homes, Anderson said.
Platte City Friends of the Arts is a non-profit group dedicated to “enriching the lives and building community through the arts,” according to the website. The group focuses on enrichment activities for all forms of art, including instrumental, vocal, and visual, Anderson said. Although the group is headquartered in Platte City, members serve the entire Platte County area, she said.
The group’s major fundraiser is the tea, which pays for the many community programs which they sponsor, Anderson said. They also partner with the Platte City Community Band and host annual summer music concerts on the Platte County Courthouse lawn. As part of that event, singers can compete for a $500 scholarship.
The friends group also partners with the Weston Community Theatre, where performances include an annual summer show, Anderson said. They also sponsor fine arts scholarships, available to Platte County High School seniors and the annual Art in the Park event each September at Platte Ridge Park, which offers a variety of artistic experiences.
In addition, the group hosts art demonstrations and a drive-by art show, which is scheduled for Saturday, April 30 this year, and offers local artists a chance to display and sell their works.