Beautiful Table Settings Bash coming to Vicksburg in January 2024

Published 10:14 am Tuesday, May 30, 2023

: Nancy Bullard, at right, will serve as Mardi Gras Queen for 2024.

May Eason, the creator of the Beautiful Table Settings Facebook group, was in Vicksburg recently at the invitation of Duff Green owner, Harley Caldwell, after the urging of her friend, Jennifer Coulter.

Coulter was familiar with the Wetumpka, Ala. resident’s Facebook group and was hoping if Caldwell “wined and dined” Eason, she would consider holding a Beautiful Table Settings (BTS) Bash in the River City. A BTS Bash is a conference that brings together Eason’s Facebook followers and others who enjoy the art of table setting.

Fortunately, Caldwell’s hospitality impressed Eason and on Jan. 19 and 20, 2024, a BTS Bash will be held in Vicksburg. Eason said the local Bash is still in the early planning phases, but her goal is to bring in 500 people.

In past Bashes, Eason said, lunch and a wine and cheese gathering have been offered.

“We also have classes,” she said, that have in past Bashes included floral design and napkin folding.

Vendors will also be on hand.

Eason started the Beautiful Table Settings Facebook group in September 2019 and now has close to 200,000 members.

“The first year we had 35,000 members and the next year we had 85,000,” Eason said. “Last year on our anniversary we had 135,000 members and we’re at 171,000 or something. It has just kind of grown by leaps and bounds.”

Beautiful Table Settings is a private page, and one must be invited, Eason said.

This is because she doesn’t want any “ugliness.”

“You don’t tell somebody you don’t like something or that a fork is on the wrong side — you just tell them you like it, if you like it. Our page is supposed to be a happy place,” she said.

The BTS Facebook group, Eason said, is a place where ideas are shared, and it can be informative and educational.

“I’ve learned about pieces of silver that I’ve never really noticed and what they are used for,” she said.

With Eason’s love of beautiful table settings, she said she had amassed more than 200 china patterns, “but not complete sets,” and loves collecting early American pressed glass.

As the Vicksburg Bash develops, more information will be released.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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