American Clock & Watch Museum Bringing Back 'Mad Hatter Tea Party'

By Brian M. Johnson, The Bristol Press

August 4, 2022

The American Clock & Watch Museum is bringing back its “Mad Hatter Tea Party,” last held in 2015, on Aug. 27, tying in to the museum’s exhibit on local clockmaker Joseph Ives’ looking glass clocks.

The children’s tea party will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. in the garden at the museum at 100 Maple St. The museum will be decorated to fit with the theme of Alice in Wonderland and crafts and snacks will also be available.

Colleen Nicastro, director of interpretation at the American Clock & Watch Museum, encouraged people “not to be late” for this “very important date.”

“We did our first Mad Hatter Tea Party in 2015 and it went very well,” she said. “There was a good turnout at that one. And, this time, it aligns with the special exhibit that we’re doing about Joseph Ives’ looking glass clocks.”

The museum’s aptly named “Through the Looking Glass” exhibit showcases clocks produced by Ives, a Bristol clock maker who lived from 1982 to 1862. The museum features three clocks, produced in 1810, 1820 and 1822. There is also an original patent, signed by then president James Madison and witnessed by Eli Terry, and a recently restored portrait of Ives, which is in the collection of the Bristol Historical Society.

Nicastro added that at the Mad Hatter Tea Party, visitors will be able to put their faces into holes in fun standing frames and take photos. There will also be a guest reader providing a story time for children.

“It may be a pretty hot day, so we’ll definitely have iced and flavored tea,” she said.

The Mad Hatter Tea Party event is supported by the Bristol Rotary Club.

Tickets are $5 per person for children and adults. Seating is limited so pre-registration is required.

For more information, or to register, call 860-583-6070 or visit clockandwatchmuseum.org.

Brian M. Johnson can be reached at 860-973-1806 or bjohnson@bristolpress.com