Remodeled Crim home hosts Queen’s Tea

The Texas Shakespeare Festival hosts its third annual Queen’s Tea at 5 p.m. Tuesday, July 19 at the J. Malcolm and Katie Mae Crim house in Kilgore.

An authentic English tea that features a variety of savories, elegant sandwiches, three different types of tea and coffee.

“We’re really excited about this particular event,” said Festival director Raymond Caldwell. “Jim and Victoria Eggers have graciously offered us the Crim house and have generously agreed to underwrite the cost of the event.”

Caldwell said the Crim house was built in the early 1930s. Jim and Victoria Eggers purchased the house from Kilgore College three years ago and began a complete restoration of the building and its grounds.

“The house has been fully restored to its original condition, with the exception of modern air conditioning,” Caldwell said. “Our Queen’s Tea will be the first time that the house has been open to the public since the restoration began.”

Inspired by a Scottish castle that the Crims saw while on vacation, Mr. Crim found the original building’s architect and brought him to Texas to design this house and to oversee its construction.

“The Eggers have done a magnificent job of restoring the house,” Caldwell said. “When you walk into it, you really think you are in a Scottish castle.”

Jim and Victoria Eggers, owners of the Malcolm and Katie Mae Crim home on South Henderson Blvd. will host the Queen’s Tea on July 19. The Queen's Tea offers a rare opportunity to see one of East Texas' most beautiful historic homes while enjoying an authentic English High Tea in a most appropriate setting, a Tudor-style mansion tailored after a real Scottish castle.

Caldwell said besides the special food and drinks, the Queen’s Tea features specially decorated thematic tables and entertainment by several of the actors appearing in this year’s Texas Shakespeare Festival.

“We’ll have a pianist,” Caldwell said. “In addition, we plan a showing of many of the costumes used in this year’s productions at the Festival.”

Caldwell encourages women attending the tea to wear their best hats. Members of the Festival will judge the hats, awarding a “Best Hat” prize.

“Of course, it’s customary for ladies to wear hats to tea, but this contest will add to the fun,” Caldwell said. “I don’t know what the standards of judging are. I don’t know if the prize will go to the prettiest hat, to the grandest hat or to the most audacious hat. But I do know that the contest will be fun.”

There will also be a drawing for a free season ticket to the 2006 Festival.

At 7:30 p.m., following the Queen’s Tea, the Festival will present its production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in the Van Cliburn Theater on the Kilgore College campus.

“I do hope that people who come for the Tea will also get tickets for the play,” Caldwell said. “‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ is one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, and this production is especially strong. Stephen Terrell, who grew up in Longview, directs it and he’s done a wonderful job.”

Individual tickets for the Queen’s Tea are $40. Reserved tables for eight are available for $500. Seating is limited.

For more information about the Queen’s Tea, contact Caldwell at 903-983-8117 or contact the Texas Shakespeare Festival box office at 903-983-8601.

Members of the TSF company will model costumes that illustrate a variety of historical periods. They will stroll throughout the house, upstairs and downstairs, talking about the costume they are wearing.