A lodge meeting with a “mad” twist

Hatter Tea Party meeting is a success

Photo: Julie Bergland Feis
Brooklyn Lodge’s Mad Hatter-themed meeting was a huge success, with all manner of characters attending.

Victoria Hofmo
Brooklyn, N.Y.

On Sunday, April 20, Sons of Norway Brooklyn Lodge held its monthly meeting with a twist: it was a Mad Hatter Tea Party. Members and guests were asked to “Don your best or craziest hat along with your finest garb, or come as your favorite Alice in Wonderland character.”

All complied: a Goth Alice, the White Rabbit (in pink), a Mad Hatter, and a Queen of Spades. Easter bonnets were joined by a Sami and a Viking hat. Even Carmen Miranda’s fruit-filled turban attended.

Assorted teapots, scones with cream, and a trifle—how British—were on hand. The meeting ended with a round of raffles. One prize was an over-sized Alice in Wonderland book, with text and brilliant classic illustrations, each followed by a duplicate image to color in.

Club member Bob Carlsen was asked what he thought about having a theme for the meeting. “It was great to see how imaginative people could be with a hat. It’s a popular thing to have a theme. It makes meetings more interesting and fun.”

I asked Lodge President, Corrine Hall, why she had chosen the Mad Hatter Tea Party theme. Her response: “It was an idea that came about organically during our first official board meeting. I don’t remember how it was brought up, but we were coming up with themes for the year and either Kimberly Breliand or Solveig Simonsen had mentioned the tea party concept and I elaborated with the Alice in Wonderland aspect.

Says Hall, regarding other innovative plans for upcoming meetings, “Our board is a creative powerhouse—those ladies! They have such thinking caps! It can’t be helped. If we sit down together, off they go—and everything they come up with is great, hits all points of interest, and keeps everyone happy.”

“Also, I’m sure that next year will be slightly motivated and dictated by what other groups are up to. Many things within the Scandinavian community are brewing, and there is a resurgence of interest—which leads me to believe others will be innovative next year, as well. I feel this will all come about naturally, as we move along.”

This article originally appeared in the May 1, 2015, issue of the Norwegian American Weekly. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.