Fairy Festival! Tea Festival! Must be September!

Farewell, August! Hello, September!

September marks the arrival of two specialty themed festivals at The Rosemary House and Sweet Remembrances. In the early part of the month, we are celebrating our 30th Annual Fairy Festival on the weekend of September 7th and 8th from 10 am - 4 pm. Perhaps you can join us in the magical gardens for a day full of whimsical fun! Activities include Fairy Fashions, Ivy Fairy Halos, Magic Wands, Fairy Crafts, Pixie Face Paining, Fairy Food on the Fly, and much more! All the fairies, fae, sprites, and pixies are looking forward to playing in the gardens with you again this year.

New this year, birds of prey from Dragon Wings Falconry!

Join us at the end of September when the gardens transition into a world of tea at the 7th Annual PA Tea Festival, held in the fragrant herb gardens of The Rosemary House in charming downtown Mechanicsburg on Friday, September 20th and Saturday, September 21st from 9 am - 4 pm. The festival boasts a variety of merchants and vendors, a wide range of teas and herbal tisanes to sample and purchase, tea tastings, informative programs, a literary corner with book chats and author signings, and musical entertainment. Admission is $15/person in advance or $18/person on the day of the event. There are a few craft classes, held off site, that require an additional ticket to cover instructor fees and supplies.

We hope to see you this month! Dancing with fairies, and sipping tea. Won't you join us?

Hello, September! A month of festivals!

Farewell, August! Hello, September!

 September marks a month of festivals at The Rosemary House and Sweet Remembrances. In the early part of the month, we are celebrating our 27th Annual Fairy Festival on the weekend of September 11th and 12th from 10 am - 4 pm. Perhaps you can join us in the magical gardens for a day full of whimsical fun! Activities include Fairy Fashions, Ivy Fairy Halos, Magic Wands, Fairy Crafts, Pixie Face Paining, Fairy Food on the Fly, and much more! We are looking forward to hosting this festival again this year.

And, at the end of the month is the 4th Annual PA Tea Festival, also held outside in the fragrant herb gardens of The Rosemary House in charming downtown Mechanicsburg. Held of Friday, September 24 and Saturday, September 25 from 9 am - 4 pm, there is a variety of merchants and vendors, a wide range of teas and herbal tisanes to sample and purchase, tea tastings, informative programs, and musical entertainment. Admission is $15/person with additional fees for specific tea tasting sessions. 

We hope to see you this month! Dancing with fairies, and sipping tea. Won't you join us?

Sip for Peace - PA Tea Festival 2019

At the PA Tea Festival we participated in a Sip in for Peace at the close of each day. This event was sponsored by the International Tea Sippers Society who provided the perfect sipping cup for our gathering. They have supported Sip in for Peace around the world the entire month of September, noting that the International Day of Peace is celebrated annually on September 21st.

 According to Babette Donaldson, "no one alive has experienced global peace. There is no shared vision or language. Tea has the potential to empower individuals to reclaim a personal sense of peace and inspire a vision of what could be". Attendees gathered at the Peace Pole in the herb garden, and on Friday our Peace Ambassador Lin Henry of Tickle Your Fancy guided the group in sharing personal moments of peace and reflection. She concluded with a silent moment of peace while playing 'What a Wonderful World'.

John (far right) from Tea-for-All was our Peace Ambassador on Saturday. He shared his personal feelings about reflection and finding peace in life. Both of these events were tranquil and peaceful and provided a moment of hope and inspiration to those that attended. The teas we served featured a blend of teas from around the world. Tea unites us and comforts us.

Our Peace Garden, tucked in the back corner of The Rosemary House garden is dedicated to our hope for Peace on Earth, Internal peace for all people and Eternal peace for our beloved mother and her sister and sister in law.

Let there be peace on earth.

Tea Tastings - 2019 PA Tea Festival

Limited in size, specialized in scope, the Tea Tastings take place in The Rosemary House outbuilding. They are scheduled both Friday and Saturday and feature specialty instructors concentrating on a unique topic. We were pleased to welcome Dr. Sally Wei, a certified Tea Sommelier from California. She covered a wide range of Taiwanese Oolongs and offered a unique introduction to this spectrum of teas.

Another specialty class featured an introduction to Cooking With Tea presented by Debbie Hartman where participants learned how to incorporate tea into their recipes, offering hints and tips along the way.

The Tea and Sushi pairing class featured local business entrepreneur Nate Baer of Retro Sushi. Nate demonstrated sushi making and Mike Raab of Tea for All prepared a range of green teas that would complement the final product. 

Teresa Weddelman journeyed from Ohio to instruct two distinct classes. She hosted a Tea and Chocolate Pairing seminar that offered quality chocolate paired with equally good tea.

Her second seminar was a class on clever and tasty Mocktails that included tea. She shared fun ways to garnish the lovely brews.

These were just a few of the specialty events that took place during the festival. These seminars require an additional ticket to attend, and it is recommended that the tickets be purchased in advance as there is limited seating for each session. New Tea Tastings/Seminars, and perhaps a few favorites will again be scheduled for next year.

Japanese Tea Ceremony - 2019 PA Tea Festival

We are so fortunate that Sachiko prepares individually hand whisked bowls of Matcha, Japanese Green Tea.

Understanding the Japanese Tea Ceremony is a lifelong learning process. The ceremony incorporates four principals; harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility with the understanding that this is a once in a lifetime moment, never to be repeated, all the while creating a moving meditation for the guest and the host. The process is documented in this series of photographs as the pictures tell the tale of this ancient tea ceremony.

PA Tea Festival - 2019 - Rosemary Alley

Rosemary Alley is the location for a wide variety of vendors at the festival. There is a long row of tents with various merchants and an abundance of tea themed treasures. Many returning vendors were set up in this area alongside a few new comers.

Several Mid-Atlantic Tea Business Association members are represented in this area. One Steep at a Thyme, Tea-by-Two, Tea-for-All, Tea & Whimsey, Greenhalgh Tea, are all MATBA members.

The Literary Corner was also located in Rosemary Alley. The tent was set up and a variety of authors joined us for book chats and book signings. Special thanks to Kensington Publishing for assisting in organizing this area. And thanks to Deb Beamer of Mechanicsburg Mystery Books for coordinating the book sales.

Also in Rosemary Alley is the colorful supersized chair with a basket full of tea themed props for the perfect photo op!