Tea Time Adventures brings you a summer charity event! The Harris-Lass Museum in Santa Clara hosts this fundraiser annually so this year we got tickets (courtesy of the Let's Go to Afternoon Tea Meetup group) and took Caltrain down to the South Bay for another tea adventure. Here is a little history about the house (from their website):
"The Harris-Lass House Museum is located at 1889 Market Street in Santa Clara, California. It is the last farm site in the city of Santa Clara and is named for the two families who owned and lived on the property for 125 years. The museum consists of the house, a classic California barn, summer kitchen, tank house and landscaped gardens."
We arrived early on this warm June day, so after we checked in and found our assigned tables (grabbing seats in the shade!) there was plenty of time for picture taking. We perused the raffle goodies. Most popular was the chair planter of purple petunias, but there was a wide variety of baskets and goodies available to win. You also got the chance to win a raffle just by attending when you entered your ticket stub for a door prize. A third chance at winning a drawing was to purchase something from the Harris-Lass gift shop which is housed in the Tank House (it has a windmill on top, easy to spot).
"The Harris-Lass House Museum is located at 1889 Market Street in Santa Clara, California. It is the last farm site in the city of Santa Clara and is named for the two families who owned and lived on the property for 125 years. The museum consists of the house, a classic California barn, summer kitchen, tank house and landscaped gardens."
We arrived early on this warm June day, so after we checked in and found our assigned tables (grabbing seats in the shade!) there was plenty of time for picture taking. We perused the raffle goodies. Most popular was the chair planter of purple petunias, but there was a wide variety of baskets and goodies available to win. You also got the chance to win a raffle just by attending when you entered your ticket stub for a door prize. A third chance at winning a drawing was to purchase something from the Harris-Lass gift shop which is housed in the Tank House (it has a windmill on top, easy to spot).
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| Typewriter planter, Whaaat! |
There is sure to be something to strike your fancy at the Harris-Lass gift shop. Including photos of the past residents and information about their lives.
The grounds are small, but lively flowers and an arched trellis show this could be a lovely setting for a wedding or garden party. The house was not open for tours since it was the preparation and staging area for the fashion show. We were reminded to save our tickets and return at a later date to see the insides of the house itself.
The catered afternoon tea included sandwiches, a mini scone with jam, lemon curd and (melted) cream, hot tea (we requested ice to make into iced tea—it was a warm day, even in the shade) along with dessert (lemon bars and brownies).
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| J.K. made a party favor for the Meetup guests, Tea Marshmallows!! |
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Just as dessert began, so did the entertainment provided by Portraits of the Past. This group donned vintage clothing and enacted short vingnettes from the history of San Jose and the Bay Area. All the actors and actresses had a lot of fun and after the show they walked among the audience to let us see their costumes up close and personal. If you're interested in having them perform at your event, see their information below! The Harris-Lass tea is another fundraising tea event that happens yearly. Tickets to this afternoon tea sell out quickly, but don't despair. If you'd like to find out more about this historical home, you can visit year round!
