A bird’s-eye view of the tea party for children and their favorite dolls
GLEN RIDGE, NJ — The Women’s Club of Glen Ridge hosted its annual Favorite Doll Tea on Sunday afternoon, March 20. According to Asha Gormandy Lee, the chairperson of the club’s Ways and Means Committee, 177 tickets were sold to the event, which is in its 11th year. Attendance was purposely lower than in previous years, she said, because of COVID-19 concerns, but seating for tea sandwiches, dessert and lemonade was at capacity. The event included boys and fathers.
“This year we made it gender neutral,” Lee said. “We have fathers here. Whoever is accompanying a child is welcomed. We try to make it as inclusive as possible.”
In addition to three vendors selling items for young children, the club was offering, for only $25 apiece, some of a trove of dolls contributed by a local member.
“Vintage dolls were given to the club by Dr. Roberta D’Ull,” Lee said. “She donated hundreds of them, and we’re selling them as a source of revenue.”
Trisha Turiano, chairperson of the club’s music department, said she headed up the vintage doll project.
“Dr. D’Ull was moving, and we acquired 400 dolls last summer,” she said. “Some we sold to collectors. I have a file on every doll. Some were life-sized porcelain dolls.”
One doll on display was by the renowned British doll sculptor Philip Heath. Turiano said that Heath travels the world and sculpts life-sized dolls using children he encounters as his models.
In addition to the tea, there was a story time, a photo booth and a raffle, and favorite dolls could have their hair coiffed by members of the WCGR Girls Club.
Photos by Daniel Jackovino
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