by Guillaume Laflamme
Fort Coulonge
May 4, 2024
Women clad in fashionable dresses and dainty hats – think Audrey Hepburn circa My Fair Lady – spent Saturday afternoon at a high tea event put on by Shawville’s Bethel Pentecostal Church at the Spruceholme Inn in Fort Coulonge.
The event began with a quick introduction and a prayer, followed by ice-breaker games such as a quiz on proper tea party etiquette.
Tea and snacks were served on authentic chinaware provided by the inn, with some dishware dating back to the 1800s.
“I think it’s just important for women to come together. We’re so busy. You know, as moms as wives, I think this is really our time together to just enjoy a couple of hours with each other,” said one of the event’s organizers Rose Valles.
Valles, who moved to the region from Toronto in Nov. 2023 when her husband became pastor for the Bethel Pentecostal Church, decided to put the event together to provide something different for the women of the Pontiac.
She explained that there aren’t many opportunities for women to dress up and get together, and believes the event provided an opportunity to build a sense of community, and offer women a much-needed break from their busy lives.
Darleen Robinson, one of the women attending the event, was honoured to be a part of the event. For her, the high tea was a chance to meet new people, and grow her faith through fellowship.
“My granny is 101 and she talked about high tea. She has very old hats and things like that too,” Robinson said. “So the fact that I could do one too is pretty neat.”
