"Tea for Two"

One of the many charitable organizations in Austin is called St. Louise House.  This group sponsors transition houses for homeless women with children.  The group also provides these families with many essentials for setting up a new home, including bedding, linens, cookware, dishes, flatware and other such items, which the families can keep and take with them when they are ready to move into a home or apartment of their own.  Their fund raising has been quite successful; at present there are about 35 residences available as transition housing for homeless mothers and children!

A few weeks ago, the organization held their annual Spring Tea and Silent Auction, which was held at Green Pastures, an historical Victorian residence that was converted to a fine dining establishment many years ago.  The residence was left mostly intact with individual dining rooms in various rooms that once were parlors, sitting rooms,  bedrooms, etc.  It is beautifully appointed and sits among a beautifully landscaped site that is very peaceful and serene.  There are several peacocks roaming the property which lends a rather exotic feel to the property.   It was a lovely setting for the Tea and Auction.  The weather was perfect.  The food was delicious, the speaker not too long-winded, and the auction items were unusual.  In addition, there were some activities outside for the younger children.  All in all, very well done!

Ratchlet  has recently become a supporter of the organization, and as this year's theme was Mothers and Daughters, she invited me to join her along with M-T-G for "Tea for Two!"  (Well actually, in our case it was "Tea for  Three!")  As you might expect, the attendees were dressed in lovely Spring dresses and more than a few of the women wore hats....very elegant and sophisticated!

In a break from my usual routine, I actually brought my camera along!  Not only did I bring the camera, I even remembered to take a few photos!  I'm still not much of a photographer, but I thought you might enjoy seeing me and my girls out for High Tea!

 

Just FYI,
Ratchlet  was wearing heels, I was not!
We are  much closer in height than it looks!

M-t-G was not wearing heels and
she is a bit taller than I....sigh!
How did that happen??

As I mentioned there were several peacocks roaming around or perching in the big old oak trees! (Seeing a peacocks take a flying leap into a tree is unnerving!!) Anyway, as we were leaving, a WHITE peacock was strutting around across the street from the grounds. I don't think I have ever seen a white peacock before. It was quite stunning. Of course, it did not spread his tail as I had hoped. Still, I managed a couple of shots for those of you who have never seen one either! Truly a nice addition to an enjoyable afternoon!

A really beautiful bird....

...but when they open their mouths,
the very loud squawk that comes out
really doesn't fit their elegant look at all!! 

"Cabaret" (Part II)

Hey, I'm back, finally!!  Well, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted by a recalcitrant computer.....more about our Cabaret!

Our parish always held Festival the last two weekends before Lent.  So Ash Wednesdays always reminds of those Festival Days!  Now one small disclaimer, it has been over 20 years since Festival was part of my life, so some of the details may be a little foggy.  It's been a long time.  Onward, nevertheless, back to our story!

Because our audience came from all over the Chicago area, there were usually about 2,000 people a night!  The whole thing was worked out like a science with traffic patterns calculated, and maps and information staff all over.  And the audiences loved coming each year and looked forward to seeing their favorite performers from previous years!

In addition to the "small" room shows which were true "Cabaret" shows, the school had a gymnasium (full-size), and that became designated as the "big" room  (we were a clever lot )  ;)   Several long rows of tables were set up, with tablecloths, candles, and folding chairs.  When there was a big crowd (almost every night), that room would hold about 500 people!  There were several bars and food stations set up and waitresses would serve all through the show. 

Because of its capacity, the big room show would be longer and strove to be more professional with flashy costumes, large scale production numbers and a full orchestra.  Those shows were around an hour long.  They usually did 4 shows a night, sometimes 5 if it was very crowded.  That show usually had little or no storyline, it was more along the lines of a TV variety show (i.e., Carol Burnett, Dean Martin, etc.)  Now of course, we didn't have a big name star and about 95% of the performers were amateurs, but there were a few people that were pursuing a professional career.  We were all volunteers and were not paid.  The only ones who were paid were....you guessed it.... the musicians!  (Musicians ALWAYS get paid.  They're funny that way; no money, no music!)

There was one more element to the make-up of Festival, a very important element!  FOOD!!  The Parish Hall was in the school's lower level and that is were the food was prepared and sold.  There were usually Italian beef sandwiches, brats and sauerkraut,  and one or two other main dishes, beverages, and dessert!  The food was sold for multiple purposes....raising more money, encouraging people to stay longer, and to help offset the occasional problem that goes along with selling alcoholic beverages!  Even after all the shows were finished for the night, the last of the party animals stayed until the Hall was finally shut down around 2 or 3 in the morning!  A lot of that late night crowd was made up of the performers and and others who had spent the night entertaining all the people who came through.  It was sort of the party after the party!

Festival was a major factor in my life, and because of Festival I met and sang with lots and lots of very talented people.  Most precious and important to me were the two women who joined with me to form a trio (which we called a variety of names over the years).  We sang together for over ten years not only at Festival but at other events as well.  Singing with them was one of the best gifts in my life. They are among the treasured few great friends I still have.  They are still in Chicago, but we are getting together in April for a few days.  I can hardly wait!  But I digress....

I was part of Festival for almost 10 years, until the parish pastor was transferred and a new pastor brought in.  For whatever reason, (I never knew fully what they were)  the new pastor didn't like the concept so, he wouldn't allow it to go on.  It was heartbreaking to all of us who had spent so much time and effort and enjoyed it so fully.  I know though, that things run their course and Festival had a good long run of years and brought a lot of parishioners together in a common activity, perhaps it was time for it to go.  The last year for Festival was 1990 or 91 (can't remember for sure).

I have no idea if any of the other churches continue to do so.  It is a huge undertaking and requires an enormous amount of effort to do year after year, but Oh, it was Grand!  Most everybody who came or participated LOVED it.  I miss it to this day! 
Oops, just one more little detail I forgot to mention that you might find interesting, the money raised!  The money rose each year and in the peak year (1988, I think), the Festival Committee was able to write a check to the parish in the amount of..........(are you ready??)

(wait for it....)

(drum roll, please......)

(what do you guess?........)

$93,000+ !!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that is $93,000 good ole U.S. dollars -- NET not Gross!!  After all expenses had been paid.  And the other years  (after the first 2 years) the net amount was NEVER LESS than $79,000.  That kind of helps explain why it went on for so many years!!  It's pretty hard to turn down that kind of money! 

$93,000....Man, that's a lot of cupcakes and crocheted TP covers, ya know!??!

♪♪...."Start by admitting

From cradle to tomb,

It isn't that long a stay.

Life is a Cabaret, Old Chum,

Only a Cabaret, Old Chum,

And I LOVE a Cab-a-ret!"  ♪



"Cabaret"

As you may (or may not) know, tomorrow (Wednesday) is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, a time of sacrifice, fasting, and prayer, for many Christian churches, including Roman Catholic churches.  Over the centuries there has been a tradition of a lot of "partying" just before the beginning of Lent, such as Mardis Gras in New Orleans (or Carnivale in Rio).   It's sort of one last fling before the 40 days of abstinence before Easter.

Also as you may (or may not) know, Chicago (my home town) has an enormous Catholic population, because of the large German, Polish, Irish, and Hispanic neighborhoods in the city and its environs.  This has resulted in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago being comprised of  (and this is an exact figure) a GAZILLION Catholic Churches, most of which have a Catholic Elementary School attached. 

Lastly, as you may (or may not) know, most churches of any denomination have one thing in common....they are in debt up to their altar rails!  The debt usually is comprised mostly of large mortgages and other loans which funded the building of the churches, church halls, parking lots, and in the case of most Catholic and many Episcopal and Lutheran churches, elementary or high schools.  Although most of the congregational donations are as generous as the parishioners can manage, the money gathered NEVER equals the money needed.  Until those mortgages and loans are finally paid off, by and large churches are always in financial difficulties.

Thus, churches are always looking for ways to raise money....bake sales, Christmas Bazaars, raffles, Bingo, school fairs, and such abound in church communities to give the parishioners a break from sermons from the pulpit continually asking for money.  At least with a Christmas Bazaar you go home with a crocheted TP cover to make up for your empty pockets!

Somewhere in the early 70s, someone at a Catholic church in a NW suburb of Chicago, came up with the most brilliant (and successful) fundraising activity ever conceived. 

As witnessed by any Karaoke Night in any town across the US, there are an enormous number of people who are talented to varying degrees and are more than willing and eager to share their talents with others.  Some are actually on their way to a professional career as an entertainer and others are just wannabees, but there are lots and lots of them.

OK, you with me so far?

Well, what that church decided to do was, in essence, hold Cabaret shows in the schools, with some of the talented parishioners and sell tickets to raise funds.  Please understand it was much more than just a little church talent show.  Oh my yes, MUCH more!  And the idea was copied, modified, and spread to several other Catholic Churches, where it grew and grew and grew!

By the time Mikey and I became involved in our Church's effort it had grown to a parish-wide activity involving more than 800 people (singers, dancers, comedians, musicians, cooks, bartenders, lighting and sound technicians, seamstresses, parking attendants, coat check staff, waitresses, ticket sellers, crowd control, clean up crews, raffle sellers, and more.  To say nothing of the administrative types who had the ultimate responsibility for oversight and problem-solving.   Yep, it was huge!  It took months to put it all together and there were about a dozen different churches that did it every year for 10-15 YEARS!

At this point I'm sure you have no real idea of what I'm talking about, so I will try to explain clearly enough so that you can understand the scope of what I am talking about.

Our parish called its event, "Festival".  There was an overall chairman found each year (some even did it twice!!) who would contact individuals and coerce....uhhm....convince them to become the "chairman" for a "room".  There were usually anywhere from 5 to 8 people willing to volunteer to chair a room.   Each of those room chairs would put together a group of people made up of singers, dancers, comedians, and musicians, to create and present an original "show" with a theme, songs, multiple costumes, a small set, some sort of a story line (usually).  The resultant 5-8 shows were each assigned a classroom where their show would be presented.

The school at our parish had several classrooms with removable dividers to make some rooms into double classrooms for various and sundry events  This made it easy to create several double rooms where a stage was built, a section designated for a band, a minuscule "backstage" for the performers to enter and exit, and the rest of the space was for seating and was filled with about 50-75 folding chairs.  In addition there was a "holding room/bar" in the room next door, where audience could sit prior to a show and have a drink and some nibblies while waiting.

There were 2 weekends (4 nights) of performances and the school kids took their Spring Break during the week between the 2 weekends.  Because school was closed for the week and all of the desks had been put into storage, each room was able to leave their stage and set-up in place for the week until the 2nd weekend.   Each room's show was unique and changed every year.  The shows generally ran 30-40 minutes and were repeated several times a night. 

The purchase of a ticket would allow entry to the building and the audience member to see ALL of the shows depending on how late they were willing to stay!  On performance nights the doors opened at 7:30 and the shows ran as many times as they had an audience!  They usually did anywhere from 4 to 6 shows a night depending the size of the crowd.

It was a great idea and it worked!  I'll tell you more about it tomorrow!!

♪♪....What good is sitting alone in your room?

Come, hear the music play.....♪