Tea time: Library hosts afternoon tea with Abigail Adams to support programs
Sheryl Faye as Abigail Adams in her one-woman show presented at afternoon tea on Sunday, April 12. Photos by Mari Huglin 
Fine china and teacups were all donated for the event. 
Tiers of snadwiches and scones filled the room. 
Participants were encouraged to wear hats and time period specific clothing. 
Afternoon tea was served at the Marion Music Hall. 
Men and women enjoyed the festivities. 
A couple from Onset enjoyed their afternoon tea. 
Volunteers served tea in time period clothing. 
Scones and sandwiches were served. 
Earl grey and Lemon ginger tea were offered. 
All participants were assigned tables to mingle. 
Sheryl Faye performed a one woman show going through the life of Abigail Adams. 
Faye started from Adams' childhood. 
Faye reads a book as she tells the audience stories. 
Participants enjoy the one-woman show. 
Residents from across Massachusetts joined to help raise funds for the Elizabeth Taber Library.
Sheryl Faye as Abigail Adams in her one-woman show presented at afternoon tea on Sunday, April 12. Photos by Mari Huglin
Fine china and teacups were all donated for the event.
Tiers of snadwiches and scones filled the room.
Participants were encouraged to wear hats and time period specific clothing.
Afternoon tea was served at the Marion Music Hall.
Men and women enjoyed the festivities.
A couple from Onset enjoyed their afternoon tea.
Volunteers served tea in time period clothing.
Scones and sandwiches were served.
Earl grey and Lemon ginger tea were offered.
All participants were assigned tables to mingle.
Sheryl Faye performed a one woman show going through the life of Abigail Adams.
Faye started from Adams' childhood.
Faye reads a book as she tells the audience stories.
Participants enjoy the one-woman show.
Residents from across Massachusetts joined to help raise funds for the Elizabeth Taber Library.
MARION — Around 90 participants filled the Marion Music Hall on Sunday, April 12 for tea and a show to all to support the Elizabeth Taber Library.
Afternoon tea was served with sandwiches, scones, jam and other small treats. Guests were encouraged to wear hats or colonial time period clothing.
Volunteers from the Friends of the Elizabeth Taber library donned colonial-era service wear as they waited on guests.
The president of the Friends group Paula Meere said the event was held to raise money for the library. They will use the money from ticket sales and donations to support special library programs like the summer reading program and museum passes.
“I think I'm most excited for the people to come and enjoy themselves for an afternoon spring tea and we have a perfect day,” Meere said.
After tea was served, actress Sheryl Faye put on a one-woman show of the life of Abigail Adams. Meere had seen Faye twice before and was excited to have her at the event.
Meere hoped guests would enjoy the event and learn something about Adams along the way.
“Maybe they'll develop friendships, maybe they'll join the Friends group and be part of our group, and also maybe they'll learn something about Abigail Adams,” Meere said.
Faye has been putting on one-woman shows for about 20 years. She is from Amesbury, has been acting ever since she was young and got a degree in theater from Emerson.
She said her favorite part about putting on these shows is spreading messages from the women she embodies.
“They're all so inspiring and I love bringing theater to a wide variety of audiences all over the country and hopefully inspiring them with these women's messages,” Faye said.
She has one-woman shows performing the lives of Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Queen Elizabeth II, Amelia Earhart and other historical female figures.
Faye said she continues to share history to keep it alive and continue sharing valuable lessons learned.
“Especially this show is to remind the audiences of how we got here and what we fought for and maybe to have a moment of gratitude and appreciation for our country and the hard work that it took to get here,” Faye said.
Ann Fournier, Emma Geyer and Charlotte Berman all came together for the tea party.
Fournier of Dartmouth had seen Faye perform before and thought it would be nice to come to the event with a group.
“I knew Emma (Geyer) would love this and it's historical so that's why I thought we'd come,” Fournier said. “It's a fun way to spend an afternoon.”
Berman of Dartmouth was invited and said she was excited for the historical aspect of the afternoon.
“I'm just excited for the whole thing. [Adams] was a champion of women's rights and so that's very important to me, especially right now when we are losing rights,” Berman said.
Both Fournier and Berman said they were happy to support the library since literacy is so important to them.
“I feel like we've got to encourage reading,” Fournier said. “We've got to encourage education and however we do it, whether it's one-woman shows that show history or whether it's reading.”
