The Friends of the Marie Fleche Memorial Library are selling raffle tickets for a spring gift basket with the theme “Tea in the Garden.”
A drawing will be held on May 7, with tickets sold during normal business hours at the library up until the event. They are $1 each or $5 for six.
Library employee and Berlin resident Betty Velie is excited about the event.
“Every season the Friends put together a basket, along with a theme, so that we can use the money to go towards the library,” she explained. “The money doesn’t go towards anything specific, but towards whatever the library could be looking to purchase at the time.”
As an employee of the Fleche library, Velie cannot be an official member of the group, but helps in any way she can.
“The reason the basket is called ‘Tea in the Garden’ is that it includes flower seeds, garden gloves and things that you can put outside, in addition to some tea pots, tea strainers, tea cups, etc.”
Another reason for the theme is to acknowledge the annual Mother’s Day tea hosted by the library, the first one it will sponsor since May 2019, before the pandemic.
“The library likes to coordinate these events and these basket giveaways with things going on in the library,” Velie noted.
The two library buildings will be converted into a makeshift restaurant with color- coordinated tablecloths, linens, and china, and food will include finger sandwiches, appetizers and desserts.
“The set-up will be quite extensive,” Velie promised. “It’s almost like you’re going to English tea time. It’s the same kind of concept. In the past, we’ve done a Victorian tea, so we had scones, assorted sweets and treats.”
“The Friends of the Library spend a couple of days making everything fresh, working on everything and getting the library ready,” she added.
