The Silver Tea sponsored by the St. James Episcopal Church Women at the Crescent Hotel Crystal Dining Room has been a gracious and popular holiday tradition for 52 years. Servers and some guests dress period outfits to enjoy tea, coffee, punch, cookies and sandwiches served on silver trays for the fundraiser for a local non-profit.
This year the Victorian event will be held on Thursday, Dec. 6, and in addition to the St. James women volunteers, students from Clear Spring School will help as floor staff. Jane Stephens, who helps organize the event, says the Clear Spring students are the unsung heroes of the event.
“They are certainly deserving of recognition,” she said. “They have done so much good work. It’s a big void filled in the community. They are doing a public service and learning something. Most of them have done it for years. It has been a working project for five years.”
Students volunteering this year include Steven Rivers, Alex Fife, Lucy Smith, Hawk Slane, Jace Childers, Lila Mahurin and Ozric Maese.
“They have learned how to be professionals,” Stephens said. “They dress in white shirts, black pants and black ties. It has been fun watching them grow. Some started when they were twelve and are seventeen now. That’s a long time!”
In 2014 Turpentine Creek was recipient of the fundraiser, and Stephens painted the students’ faces like cats, lions and leopards. “It was so fun,” she said. “They had a blast with that.” Some servers of the past now have restaurant and hospitality jobs.
“I’m excited for them,” Stephens said. “They get professional training. They are working at the Crescent, and it feels good. They behave like pros on the floor. They’re attentive to the guests. It has been so fun to see it evolve. It used to be they just picked up plates. Now they do their jobs elegantly. It is fun to see how much class and competence they have brought to their job. They just made it their own. I’m very proud of them.”
Kathy McCoy and Karen Pryor are co-directors of the 2018 holiday tradition, and Episcopal men also help – Kent Turner and Shane Gasner are floor captains. Proceeds this year will be donated to the Cup of Love Ministry.