Afternoon Tea and Art Exhibit During Spoleto Festival at St. Matthew's Tearoom 2008

Tearoom volunteer and 6th generation St. Matthew's member, Laura Fisher Altman offers a tray of homemade desserts to Mrs. Stevie Thomas of the Hat Ladies of Charleston in the courtyard garden during Spoleto Festival 2008.



Mary Pstrak Runyon of Charleston, SC and Fort
Worth, Texas enjoys afternoon tea at a courtyard table. Ms. Runyan planned her trip to Charleston during Spoleto and Piccolo Spoleto to visit with family and friends and attend festival events.

Margaret Peck, Executive Director of the Outreach Learning Center at St. Matthew's serves a tray of tempting treats to the Hat Ladies of Charleston during their afternoon tea at the St. Matthew's Tearoom during Spoleto.

Archie Burkel (right) founder and president of The Hat Ladies of Charleston (www.hatladies.org whose club motto is "Look good, Feel good, Do good") with members Stephanie Wilson (left) and Ruth Edmunds.

Pat Shoesmith is "pretty in pink" as she sits near colorful artwork on display in A Charleston Artist Guild Exhibition and sale in the dining room during the Spoleto Festival.






The inside dining room is full of excitement and beautiful paintings as the ladies enjoy their afternoon tea and good company.




An open door in the dining room allows those inside to enjoy the music from performers in the courtyard as they enjoy their tea and view the original artwork by members of the Charleston Artist Guild.





The Plantation Singers (www.plantationsingers.com) performed traditional spirituals in the Courtyard Garden. Their beautiful singing was the highlight of the afternoon (after the delicious homemade tea sandwiches and scones).






The Rev. Dr. Dick Campbell, Pastor Emeritus was on hand in the 1872 church sanctuary to answer questions about the history of St. Matthew's and share stories about his tenure as pastor from 1986 - 2004.

With so many volunteers and patrons supporting the tearoom, it's no surprise that the event has been a great success and will provide much needed funding for the church's 2008 Community Outreach Learning Center program. “Quality Time”, an adult respite care program for people with Alzheimer’s and other memory loss disorders, will be the recipient of all tips.