Naper Settlement celebrates 'Alice' with merry unbirthday

To prepare for a Victorian tea party, it would seem fitting to locate the ornate, fine china and dig out recipes for dainty finger sandwiches, delicate cakes and sweet bonbons.

All those treats, plus a little madness, may turn up at a special event planned for Saturday, Nov. 14, when Naper Settlement will honor the 150th anniversary of the publication of Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" with an event titled "A Very Merry Unbirthday: Tea and Trivia."

The afternoon will culminate with the settlement's version of a mad tea party, which will bear some resemblance to the one Alice partook of with the Mad Hatter, the March Hare and the Dormouse in Carroll's fanciful tale.

When guests enter the tavern inside the Pre-Emption House, they'll be greeted with a table set for an "unbirthday" party, said Anna Di Cosola, the settlement's learning experiences coordinator.

"Everything will be mismatched, from the place mats to the tea sets," she said. There will be "unbirthday" cards and puzzles, along with refreshments.

Di Cosola said the party's décor and table settings will evoke scenes from Carroll's popular book.

"I think it's a cool concept," she said.

While sipping tea and sampling cupcakes - a reference to the cakes Alice nibbled in the beginning of the story that resulted in her size increasing alarmingly - visitors will play a few rounds of a Jeopardy-style trivia game, Di Cosola said. The game's questions were written by Megan Wozniak, a summer intern at the settlement.

The game will involve some of the details of Carroll's prose, so visitors should expect mentions of characters such as the White Rabbit, the Queen of Hearts and, of course, the Cheshire Cat, whose famous feline grin remained after he had disappeared.

A few allusions to the Disney version of Carroll's work also can be expected, she said. Prizes for the game winners will include roses. Roses are among the flowery characters in the sequel, "Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There," a book published in 1871, just six years after the 1865 publication of the first Alice book.

"'Alice in Wonderland' has been done so many times. Whether you're 80 years old or 5 years old, you know the story of Alice," Di Cosola said.

Tea party visitors also will receive private tours of the Martin Mitchell Mansion, the Naperville residence of George Martin II and his family. Construction on the home was completed in 1884, near the end of the Victorian era, Di Cosola said.

The settlement has presented tea party events in the past, Di Cosola said, but this is the first party with an "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" theme.

For anyone curious about this inaugural event, and whether they'll encounter a cat without a grin or a grin without a cat, Di Cosola reminds that reservations are required. Call (630) 420-6010 for reservations.