The event saw the former International Bible College building transformed into a variety of special princess-themed rooms, ranging from Frozen to Moana and yes, Alice in Wonderland.
All with the idea of giving little princesses and their moms a chance to have an afternoon filled with plenty of fun things to see and do.
“This is the fourth year we’ve held it and every year we take the IBC building and we completely transform it in order to welcome the community,” said event organizer Bethany DeWalt. “The first year we couldn’t decide which princess we wanted to feature so we decorated every room as a different princess and we switch it up every year. It hasn’t been the same twice.”
That variety has led to some spectacular design, with the Wonderland room a good example, featuring a stunning array of sites and things to do, ranging from visiting with the Mad Hatter, Queen of Hearts and Alice herself to visiting the White Rabbit’s home and working their way through a maze next to the Cheshire Cat’s tree. Youngsters could even receive a special princess make-over if they so chose.
Other rooms featured music and dancing from Frozen, arts and crafts and even a purse designing and building station to go along with the traditional face painting and balloon animals. And, of course, a special tea room that drew long lines throughout the day.
There’s little question the event has become impressively popular – after selling 200 tickets its first year, more than 600 were sold this year at a price point designed to be accessible to almost anyone: $12 for adults, $5 for children.
The tea also featured a charity component, with a food bank donation station that was expected to bring in over 500 pounds of food by days end.
“We wanted to some kind of outreach event to show our love for the community and show God’s love and do something for those around us, so what better way than do a cheaper event with a food bank donation part of it as well,” DeWalt said. “We just wanted to give back and it’s worked out really well.”
Given the increasing success of the tea, there’s little doubt it’ll be back again next year.
“We already have ideas for year five,” DeWalt said with a laugh.
