WORTHINGTON - The Nobles County Historical Society is opening its museum for a unique experience this holiday season - an Americanized version of an afternoon English Tea.
The Christmas Tea will begin at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 5 in the museum, located in the lower level of the War Memorial Building in downtown Worthington. There will be seating for up to 36 attendees, with nearly half of the seats already reserved.
“We’re very excited,” said NCHS staff member Mary Rydeen. “We will be serving tea, of course, coffee, some small sandwiches, some scones and some little goodies that go with that, in a Christmas setting.”
Fourth- through sixth-grade students in the Celebration Chorus from Worthington’s Prairie Elementary will entertain the audience with Christmas carols, and Rydeen will share history about English teas. In her younger days, she occasionally hosted high teas, using a set of fine dishes she inherited from her grandmother.
“That’s a little more fancy,” she said.
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Fellow NCHS staff member Roger Zarn will also provide a short program on the history of the Nobles County Museum, Pioneer Village and the historical society during the event, and Santa will make an appearance.
“People not only get to experience some Christmas cheer, but also see what’s available in the museum,” Rydeen said. “There’s so much here that it would just be nice for people to see that.”
A variety of vintage toys in the museum will be on display, and a Christmas tree will be decorated with staff-made ornaments that feature photos of rural school buildings in Nobles County, as well as vintage Christmas cards.
To reserve a seat at the Christmas Tea, contact the NCHS office at 376-4431.
A $250 contribution from Thrivent is covering the cost of the tea, although attendees will be asked to make a donation toward the NCHS.
