This is the second year I have attended the PA Tea Festival and it was a tea-rrific experience. There were so many different samplings of tea for everyone to partake in, music to keep the upbeat vibes humming along, and many vendors from near and far with lots of goodies to sell.
The annual PA Tea Festival takes place in the month of September and is hosted by The Rosemary House and Sweet Remembrances, located in the town of Mechanicsburg. From all over, people come to talk, learn, and sip tea from fellow tea gurus. However, that is only part of the festival. Located in the Literary Corner, attendees will find authors who give a talk as an independent bookshop sells their books at a booth nearby. Does it get any better than books and tea? (answer - no, it does not.)
There are two authors scheduled in the morning to early afternoon, on both Friday and Saturday, and their stories tend to be aligned in the mystery genre. That being said, readers know that simply tagging book as 'mystery' does not do it justice. There are so many sub-genres, so the theme of the books ultimately comes down to the authors who attend each year.
Once you get registered and have a band wrapped around your wrist, each person is given a tea cup of their own for the samplings. Not only does this fabulous idea make a great souvenir for each person to take home, it also keeps everything hygienic without producing a lot of wasteful plastic cups (I bet the garbage men appreciate not having to pick up as much trash in the aftermath of the event).
The tea cup in my hands, as shown in the picture to the right, is from this year. Each year is a different cup and if there are any leftovers from previous years, attendees are given an option between the varying designs.
Since this is a tea festival, people can partake in the tea around lunchtime in the Sweet Remembrances Tea Room. Lessons and classes on a multitude of subjects, ranging from tea ships from Revolutionary War time to easily hosting a tea party, are staggered throughout the day. To make sure that everyone knows where to go, and when to be there, for each item on the day's itinerary, a map of the gardens and alley are given to each person with their cup and a bag that is great for holding all of your things.
Vendors from not just our area, but from neighboring states, attend the festival with handmade and vintage items. As I perused the offerings in the alley, I came across food (pictured to the left), pure beeswax items, tea (of course), handmade note cards, candles, soy lotion candles, handcrafted tea wallets and vintage tea cups with matching saucers.
While I was not able to walk around the grounds of the garden this time, as I had last year, images from the bustling activities can be seen on the PA Tea Festival's website at https://www.teafestpa.com/
Now, as I mentioned before, there are authors to meet
and greet in the Literary Corner. And the best gift to give an avid reader is a book signed by its creator! This year had a little hiccups in the road, due to illness, and while we do wish those authors a speedy recovery, the show must go on. It was a delight to see Libby Klein again after meeting her at Malice Domestic back in the spring. Her humorous cozy mystery series follows Poppy McAllister, a widowed middle-aged woman and her cat, through seven novels, with the latest one having only came out in March of this year (and the recipes in the back of her books are all gluten free). If you missed Libby Klein at the Tea Festival, no need to fret because she will be back in the area October 8th for the Kensington CozyClub Mini-Con East that will be co-hosted by the Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop. For her website: https://libbykleinbooks.com/
On Saturday, authors Frances Powell and Sheryl C.D. Ickes were scheduled for noon and ten o'clock respectively. Sheryl C.D. Ickes has two cozy mystery series: A Slice of Life Mystery Series and Rufus and Becky Cross-Country Mystery Series. She gave a great talk under the canopies near the shop's booth and was available for picture taking/signing afterwards. If you like bakery cozy mysteries, or would like to try something different with a truck driving mystery, her books are for you! For Sheryl's website: https://www.sherylcdickes.com/
You can find each author's books at the Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop during their regular shopping hours or their online store at: https://www.mysterybooksonline.com/
The image in the bottom left is of a tea bag from the Ohio Tea Company that had samplings at their tent and the right is of a biodegradable bag from the Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop, along with a card with their information. What a great idea from both places! To visit the Ohio Tea Company's website: https://www.ohioteaco.com/
Overall, the weather was FABULOUS and the event was just as good. I will be looking forward to attending again next year and hope to see you there as well. Have a great day!
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