Kerr Memorial’s Victorian Tea Party
# TeaTime: While many bemoan the lack of etiquette and simple table manners in today’s fast paced pop- upcrazy environment, Kerr Memorial Museum in Oakmont decided to offer some pointers during its Victorian Tea at Oakmont Country Club Sunday afternoon. “We expected maybe 40 people to sign up, and we are blown away by the turnout,” said co- chair Diana Thompson ( with her mother, Jane Thompson). “There are a lot of new faces here today” with more than 170 attending, she added. Many of the women and girls wore hats, and a few dressed in Victorian attire for the tea. All the junior docents for the museum looked as if they had stepped out of tintype. The idea for the luncheon came from Molly Kennedy, a summer intern who attends Mercyhurst University in Erie. “She needed a project for the summer, and this tied into our Victorian Tea exhibit at the museum,” explained Jan Shoop, one of the organizers along with Ms. Thompson, Joan Stewart and Jane Foster. As they were formulating a plan, one of the parents of the junior docents thought it would be nice to do something on etiquette. “I thought, OK, that would be good,” said Ms. Kennedy who will do her senior project with Kerr as well. At each place setting was a booklet called “The Simple Manners of Meeting, Greeting and Eating; Being at Your Best.” A very helpful guide to casual and formal place settings was included in the booklet.
# SEENMindingTheirManners: Barbara Jacobs, Raney Zatawski, Susan Wilkinson, Cristy Gookin, Loraine Murphey, Sandra Pesavento, Jessie Fitchwell and her granddaughter Hero Fitchwell, Janet Wagner, Gail Latimer, and the Blessing Board’s Diane Brown. —