Win a trip to New York City
BY RACHEL DOVE
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
WARFIELD — The age-old southern-born tradition of attending a tea party in the company of your family, friends and neighbors has found its way to Martin County and is sure to be the talk of the town for all who attend yet another 2022 Christmas event.
The Warfield Park Community Center board members, under the direction of chairperson Denise Chaffins, are busy as bees finalizing plans for the first Holly Jolly Christmas Tea Party scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 17, at 6 p.m., at the Warfield Community Center. Tickets to attend are $10.
“This is far from your ordinary lady’s tea party, as it includes numerous activities that will entertain those attending the evening’s festivities and will hopefully leave then impatiently awaiting next year’s event,” said Chaffins.
The community center will be transformed into a holiday extravaganza as volunteers decorate their assigned tables with a specific Christmas carol in mind. Each table will seat eight ladies, and a minimum of 12 tables will be set up. In addition, two special tables for the younger ladies (ages 6-12) will seat 16 and allow mothers and daughters to have a girl’s night out together, a tradition they can continue through the years. Tickets for the younger attendees will be $6.
After partaking of delicious finger foods, ranging from traditional tea-luncheon sandwiches, fruits, cheese and decadent desserts, and drinking your fill of several flavors and brands of tea (drink options available for non-tea lovers), attendees will experience a special performance of the touching true story of “The Christmas Truce.” The performance will feature the voices of some local men, including Martin County Judge/Executive Lon Lafferty, who said he was honored to have been asked to participate.
A festive photo backdrop will be displayed inside the community center, providing a beautiful setting to take selfies or photos with your group. Attendees will be treated to the sounds of the Christmas season throughout the event.
Whether or not you attend the tea party, you can purchase a ticket for a chance to win a trip to New York City. The grand prize is a pair of tickets for a New York City red-eye chartered bus trip with scheduled departure locations in Louisa and Ashland on Friday evening, Dec. 30. Ticket holders will arrive in NYC the morning of Dec. 31 and have the entire day to visit landmarks and sightsee and shop. They will then gather to watch the ball drop in Time Square at midnight. Following the ball drop, they will load the bus and arrive back in Eastern Kentucky on the evening of Jan. 1.
Tickets are $10 each or 6 for $50 (trip value $375).
The winning ticket will be drawn at the conclusion of the tea party and will be live-streamed on Facebook. If you are the winner and choose not to make the trip, you may gift it to others.
A dollar auction will be an exciting addition to the holiday event and offer a variety of items graciously donated by area businesses, groups and individuals. You need only to bid $1 for a chance to win each item, although the more you bid, the greater your chances are of winning. A 50/50 drawing will also be held.
Each guest will take home a small memento from the host overseeing their table, marking the first of many tea party memories to come. Door prizes will also be awarded to three lucky women throughout the evening.
“This is one event you definitely want to mark on your calendar and make plans to attend,” remarked Chaffins. “Put on your favorite dress and a fancy hat or wear your favorite Christmas attire, grab your dollar bills and purchase your ticket for the Warfield Park Holly-Jolly Christmas Tea Party.”
Business owners who want to purchase a table (seats 8) for female employees or those who wish to gather their family or female friends for a fun and enjoyable night out can reserve a table for eight in advance at a discounted cost.
Tickets for the event and those for the NYC trip are currently on sale and may be purchased by contacting Chaffins at 606-395-5212. Accepted payment methods include cash, check, money order or Paypal.
The Christmas Tea will serve as a fundraiser for the park board to offset the cost of upcoming events in 2023. The board also plans to host a Spring Tea Party to kick off the rebirth of the beautiful Appalachian Mountains as they say goodbye to winter and embrace the warmth of spring.
“This event is going to be one for the record books if all goes as planned, and we encourage all our local ladies to come and spend the evening with us on Dec. 17 and see what wonderful things the Warfield Park has to offer,” said Chaffins.