Regency era coming to Tecumseh with Regency Boulevard Social
- Apr 9
- 4 min read
By JACKIE KOCH
Fans of the “Bridgerton” series set in the Regency era of London, England between 1813 and 1826 will want to congregate in Tecumseh the weekend of April 17-19 for the city’s newest event, the Regency Boulevard Social.
According to Rhonda Nowak, event and marketing coordinator for the city’s economic development department, the city event will take place Saturday, April 18 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. in the downtown area, while additional activities will take place April 17-19 at The Stacy Mansion, the grand 1848 Italianate home at 710 W. Chicago Blvd.
The downtown activities on Saturday, April 18 include croquet games, two scavenger hunts, and a community picnic with music by a professional string quartet.
Attendees are encouraged to don Regency-inspired attire if they wish, including bonnets, waistcoats, gloves, and parasols. A costume contest at 1:30 p.m. will follow the community picnic that will be held from 12:30-1:30 p.m. at Adams Park next to City Hall.
“We even have the queen who will be here for the event to oversee the contest and the picnic, and the rest of the festivities for the weekend,” said Nowak. “She’ll be out at the Stacy Mansion also for some of their activities out there.”
Besides the string quartet at the picnic, student musicians from Tecumseh High School will roam through downtown to play throughout the day on Saturday.
Nowak said staff in the economic development department were considering doing a new event and hit on the popularity of “Bridgerton.”
“We decided to collaborate with The Stacy Mansion because we felt like that might be right up their alley and they were all on board for it,” Nowak said. They formed a committee and she asked various merchants if they would help.
Serena Riley, who owns The Stacy Mansion with partners Danielle Ward and Kim Stelzer, said the mansion will have a Grand Promenade on Friday evening, April 17, from 6-9 p.m., hosted by “Lady Freewardley,” which is free to attend. “We welcome families and those that wouldn’t normally be able to make a ticketed event. This is a great opportunity for them to come and wander the property grounds,” she said. They will have food vendors including Ry’s Bakery, Bussin’ Bowls, Musgrove + Co. and the Buzz Café, and will host a flower bar where folks can create their own custom bouquet.
Riley explained that a promenade in the Regency era involved walking through a park of some sort to see and be seen by the rest of the “ton” or the society. “So it’s just a fun exercise of just kind of coming out to see the grounds, wandering around. We’re going to have some candlelight pathways lit. We encourage people to bring blankets for setting up a picnic and eating their food that they purchase from vendors and we’ll also have a tent with tables set up that people can eat under, as well,” she said. The mansion will also have yard games such as croquet, cornhole and yard Yahtzee.
On Saturday, April 18 from 7-10 p.m. at The Stacy Mansion, a ticketed event called the Opening Season Ball will take place, with tickets are $75 per person. The event will have music by the Horizon String Quartet, with tables and a dance floor so attendees can dance. There will be light refreshments as well as a live artist who will be painting portraits for guests to take home with them.
Patina Jewelry + Design has partnered with The Stacy Mansion to offer a .6 carat, genuine natural diamond stone valued at $2,000 as the prize for a costume contest to be judged by a three-person panel. “We’re super excited about that,” said Riley. “If you’re familiar with the show that we’re basing this on, the queen always announces the diamond of the season. So, this is our kind of play on that.”
The costumes will be judged on four criteria: authenticity, craftsmanship and detail, overall presentation and wow factor.
Lady Freewardley’s Afternoon Tea on Sunday, April 19 will close out the weekend at the mansion, with 30 tickets available at $60 each. There will be edible treats from the British Tea Garden along with tea, and attendees will be able to sit and socialize and paint a teacup and saucer pottery kit from Clay It Forward.
Those who purchase tickets for both the Saturday night and Sunday events will save $10, with the total cost at $125.
Riley said when the women purchased the house, one of the first events they wanted to host was something that honored the Regency era. “So we’re glad that downtown is doing this so that it allows us to use the property and The Stacy Mansion for that, because we think it fits really well into that Regency era theme,” she said. “And we are going to be dressed up in costumes all weekend, so we encourage everyone to do the same. Obviously, you don’t have to, but it just creates more fun, as well.”
To purchase tickets for events at The Stacy Mansion, visit thestacymansion.com/events. To find a schedule of events downtown on April 18, go to downtowntecumseh.com/events.