Our SoCal 2025 Pirate Packing Party & Picnic at the Park

It's time to announce this year's SHARED TREASURE HUNT Packing Party & Picnic!
Both Scoutreach & Sea Scouts with whom we've been working need more time to get things ship-shape, so we're doing "our own thing" this year. (Quite frankly, the timing is perfect since we are concentrating on putting together our brick & mortar venue).

Thanks to hosts Captain Tootie & her first mate Barnacle Brad (aka Trish & Brad Miller)
a fun-filled packing party picnic at the park is planned for 
SATURDAY, JULY 19 at 12pm
at a private park in The Groves in Irvine CA

Light picnic fare (including hot dogs, cupcakes, bilge-water punch) and more will be served.
The cost of participation is your donation of get-ready-for-school supplies 
such as pens, pencils, notebooks, socks, toothbrushes, comic books, markers, etc, and of course, backpacks to put them in!

TAP HERE TO RSVP

email Whimsicalitea2017@gmail.com with questions



Our first ever SponsortuniTea

Avast, mateys! We're mixing things up to offer a new type of philanthropic event—
a SponsortuniTea!

The brief video below features our hostess, Patricia Miller, to tell you what it's all about ...


This intimate gathering will take place 
at Patricia & Bradley's home in Irvine 
(address to be given out to attendees)

Sunday, May 18, 2025

1-2:30(ish)

$26.25 includes pirate-themed afternoon tea and a wee bit o' surprise entertainment 
(as well as a $5 donation to Shared Treasure Hunt & $1.25 toward payment fees)

PayPal link

We have exciting news about our new partners in piratical crime, 
which we'll share over a cuppa

Click here for Underwriting & Sponsor benefits

~ Feel free to come dressed for sea-farin' in the Golden Age of Piracy! ~

Seating is limited. No refunds for fundraiser. While we will have vegetarian fare, we cannot accommodate dietary restrictions for this volunteer-run event. Your payment receipt confirms your spot. 
If you can't make it, please consider making a donation to our 501c3 philanthropy, Whimsicalitea 
paypal.me/Whimsicalitea


Back for more in '24!

Captain Trish and First Mate Barnacle Brad did it again!

On June 29, 2024 they hosted an STH packing party, this time at their home, as a festive pirate-themed tea!

[click images to enlarge]


























STH 2024 is booming! 💣

Avast, mateys, pirates be invadin' and not leavin' any time soon! 

Here be our plunderin' pillagin' schedule for 1724 ... & 2024

  • May 1 - Omni's Pirate Season opens with this year's online Port Tour
  • May 5 - Reservations open for our Christmas in July pirate party on Fri July 20 at Mother's Beach in Long Beach CA
  • May 7 - Reservations open for our Crafty Pirate hat-decorating tea on Fri June 21 at McKenna's Tea Cottage in Seal Beach CA
  • June 10 - our 7-week Scallywag Summer Enrichment Program kicks off online with 3 immersive lessons per week
  • June 21 - Crafty Pirate hat-decorating tea at McKenna's Tea Cottage in Seal Beach CA
  • June 21 - Reservations open for Charles Spratley's Republic of Pirates tea talk on Sat Aug 24 at Madeline Garden in Pasadena
  • July 11 - Kids Club STH Kickoff & Pirate Parley at the Highlands Family Success Center in West Milford NJ
  • July 18 - Kids Club Adventure Map Packing Party at the Highlands Family Success Center in West Milford NJ
  • July 20 - Christmas in July pirate party at Mother's Beach in Long Beach CA 
  • July 25 - Kids Club Search for Plunderin' Percival's Treasure at the Highlands Family Success Center in West Milford NJ
  • August 24 - Republic of Pirates Tea Talk with Charles Spratley at Madeline Garden in Pasadena CA


Avast! There be Christmas in July ... with pirates!

Ahoy, mateys!

Shared Treasure Hunt is back, and this time our pirates have company! Evidently Santa Claus is coming to port to help us celebrate & fill backpacks for kids in need

Join us for an uproarious Christmas in July beach party ... with pirates! 

Saturday, July 20

10am-12pm

Marine Park aka Mother's Beach,
on the grass at the west side of the park (by the privies on the 'left)
5839 Appian Way, Long Beach, CA
~ BYO chair or blanket ~

Tentative timetable:

  • 10:00 - Get your pirate name and make yer mark on the Articles of Agreement 
  • 10:15 - Craft station opens - Make your own pirate hat, decorate ornaments 
    • SWAG SWAP packing station opens - Fill gift backpacks with all manner of back-to-school supplies for kids who need them. (Click here for info) 
    • Story time 1
  • 10:30 - Sea Shanty singalong 
    • Pop-up Skirmish at bay
  • 10:45 - Learn how to Talk Like a Pirate … slurs & all 
    • Tea in a Box lunches available
    • Story time 2
  • 11:00 - Visit from Captain Santa!
    • & Cake Cutting 
  • 11:15 - Decorate our trees with ornaments
    • Story time 3
  • 11:30 - Christmas singalong 
  • 11:45 - Scallywacky Treasure Hunt (for the youngin's)
  • 12:00 - Bon Voyage!

YER OPTIONS

  • $0 - Come for the fun and bring $20 worth of "goodies" to put in the backpacks. Enjoy complimentary cake & punch in thanks
  • $25 - Tea in a box + Stuff! Bring $20 worth of stuff for the backpacks + get the discounted tea in a box rate. Tea boxes catered by McKenna's Tea Cottage to include 5 sandwiches, scone with fixin's, petite salad. (Guests are getting a big discount, courtesy of McKenna's). You'll also get iced tea provided by Paris In A Cup, celebratory cake, and our delightful bilgewater punch! (Must be reserved by July 11)
  • $40 - Tea in a box without Stuff. Even if you don't bring goodies for the backpacks, you can still have tea in a box plus iced tea, cake, and punch. (Must be reserved by July 11)   
  • $🎅🏻🤶 - Become a Sponsor & not only will you get the perqs listed below as a tax write-off, but we'll throw in the Tea in a Box, iced tea, cake, punch + we'll feed one of our volunteers ... You can even sit on Santa's lap! (Must be reserved by July 11)
    • $125 - Sea Bandit - Name on this website (with link, if applicable)
    • $250 - Brigand - Name on this website (with link, if applicable), Name on thank-you page of digital bounty promo kit
    • $500 - Privateer - Name on this website (with link, if applicable), Name on thank-you page of digital bounty promo kit, Name in 3 social media posts
    • $1000 - Buccaneer - Name on this website (with link, if applicable), Name on front page of digital bounty promo kit, Name in 3 social media posts, Name in press release
    • $2500 - Corsair - Name on this website (with link, if applicable), Name/logo on front page of digital bounty promo kit, Name in 3 social media posts, Name in press release, Name in 7-week enrichment program emails & posts

Your Options

SIGN UP FOR THE SWAG SWAP HERE
tinyurl.com/STH-SwagSwap24
All sales are final, and there are no refunds, but you can give your spot to someone wonderful if you so desire.
🎄






23 in '23

Barnacle Brad, First Mate Trish, and their crew put together 23 backpacks in 1 day this year!

Their account of the festivities is strewn below


On August 19th we were thrilled to host our own Shared Treasure Hunt - a "kids-helping-kids" project. Folks were invited to join our "crew" (especially those with kids) to bring Back-to-School items and enjoy a Pirate Picnic in the Park. Lots of folks were out of town or working, but we had a grand turnout of 8 adults and 4 kids - we were small but MIGHTY! 




The fun started with singing "A Pirate's Life for Me", learning to "talk like a Pirate" and a Quiz of famous Pirates from movies and books! Everyone made a cut-out Pirate Hat and received an eye patch (not Aye....eye). Picnic food included "Bilgewater Punch" (a right yummy blend of limeade, lemonade, Sprite, and rainbow sherbet), dogs on the grill, fruit, veggies (important to ward off the Scurvy), Pirate cupcakes and a pineapple Upside-down cake.





Barnacle Brad and meself (1st Matey, Trish) led the kids in an exciting Treasure Hunt! Cardboard treasure chests were filled with lots of goodies (rings, necklaces, gold chocolate coins, assorted candy, micro-popcorn, cookies and edible rings) and hidden in Barnacle Brad's Treasure chest! 





Participating Scallywags had to work fer the treasure by pitting their fighting skills against Barnacle Brad with their bubble wand swords; Billy the Bard took the second task of teaching a Sea Shanty - "Blow the Man Down"; followed by Diana the Galley Wench teaching them to dance a Jig. Finally, the kids raced to the playground, down the slides and into the secret "hold" where lay the Treasure Chest! Scallywags and crewmen alike had a Jolly-good time!





Our crew packed 23 backpacks full of items such as toothpaste & brushes, snacks, crayons, pencils and color pens, scissors, stuffed animals, books, kleenex, erasers and pencil sharpeners, notebooks and folders, stickers, flashlights and some candy, of course! All made possible by donations from crew members as well as Friends who couldn't attend but wanted to take part. The kids were very excited by the variety of "spoils" to choose from and took great care in filling their backpacks. And every crew member wrote personal notes to a child and tucked them in with care. 





All the backpacks - along with blankets, puzzles, games and some additional stuffed animals - were delivered to the Thomas House Family Shelter. The children's eyes were alight as we began to unload our "spoils" and carry them to the courtyard. I told them a little about the Pirate Picnic and Treasure Hunt and they all want to attend next year!  Thank you, dear friends, for making this possible - our hearts are FULL!



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